FORMER Scottish health secretary Jeanne Freeman told the UK Covid-19 Inquiry today that she will regret Covid deaths “for the rest of her life.”

She made the remarks while giving evidence in the final week of the inquiry’s residence in Edinburgh, focusing on the actions of Scottish government during the pandemic.

Inquiry counsel Jamie Dawson KC confronted Ms Freeman with the notes of senior civil servant Derek Grieve, who described the UK government as “fully engaged and mobilised” while the Scottish government “simply isn’t,” adding that the health directorate had spent “20 minutes discussing internal Scottish government communications.”