PRESSURE is mounting on former Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon to face parliamentary scrutiny over deleted Covid-19 Whatsapp messages.

Last year, the UK Covid-19 inquiry was made aware that messages between Scottish ministers and senior civil servants appeared to have been deleted, despite the likelihood — understood at the time — that they would be required for a future public inquiry.

As its focus moves to Scotland in Module 2a of its proceedings, questions on transparency have reappeared after it emerged that the SNP’s then leader had not only failed to submit any notebooks for the inquiry’s consideration, but had no messages to share either.