Covid inquiry taking FM's text row 'very seriously'

Vaughan Gething said he never deleted any texts from his own phone

Concerns that First Minister Vaughan Gething may have deleted text messages during the pandemic are being taken “very seriously” by the Covid inquiry, a representative has said.

Earlier this month it emerged that the Welsh Labour leader had told ministers in a group chat in August 2020 that he was deleting messages, saying they could be captured by a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.

He may also have to give further evidence to the Covid inquiry, the representative said.

It comes at a time of heightened pressure on Mr Gething, who will face a vote of no confidence in his leadership in the Senedd next week.

A letter from the inquiry’s secretary to Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies said it was aware of media reporting related to Mr Gething’s WhatsApp messages.

“The inquiry takes allegations of destruction of potentially relevant materials very seriously and will take any steps it considers appropriate,” the letter said, adding that this includes issuing requests for written statements.

Responding to the letter, Mr Davies said that families who lost loved ones during the pandemic “expect answers” from the Welsh government.

"Vaughan Gething has not set the record straight on his deletion of Covid messages, and it's very encouraging that the inquiry takes these allegations seriously,” he said.

Rhun ap Iorwerth, the leader of Plaid Cymru, said the fact the Covid inquiry was considering recalling Mr Gething as a witness was a “grave matter”, accusing the first minister of “ducking and diving his way through his first months in office”.

A redacted screenshot of the message and ones that proceeded it

In a ministerial group chat on 17 August 2020, Mr Gething wrote: “I’m deleting the messages in this group.

“They can be captured in an FOI [Freedom of Information request] and I think we are all in the right place on the choice being made.”

BBC Wales News was told that the message, first reported by Nation.Cymru, was sent on a phone provided by the Senedd to Mr Gething.

The first minister told the BBC he had “not deleted messages that relate to decision making, and in fact I never deleted any text message from my phone, because I never had the time or inclination”.

The Conservatives and Plaid Cymru have both written to the inquiry asking it to recall Mr Gething.

Vote of no confidence

Mr Gething has been involved in a series of rows since replacing Mark Drakeford as Wales’ first minister in mid-March.

The Welsh Conservatives have tabled a vote of no confidence on his leadership for next Wednesday, after weeks of controversy over donations to his recent leadership campaign.

He has faced huge pressure after accepting £200,000 in donations from a company whose owner was convicted of environmental offences.

The first minister has always maintained that they were declared and registered in accordance with the rules.

If Mr Gething were to lose the no confidence vote, the result would not be binding, but it would place him under additional pressure, and come at an awkward time for the wider UK Labour Party, in the middle of a general election campaign.

He also sacked Hannah Blythyn as minister for social partnership, alleging she leaked text messages, while Plaid withdrew from its co-operation agreement with the Welsh Labour government in the Senedd earlier in May ahead of the original expiration date of December.