Ministers accused of 'hiding mistakes' over Covid
- Published
Louise Slorance says there is a 'culture of secrecy' within the Scottish government
The widow of a civil servant who died after catching Covid has accused ministers of putting more effort into hiding mistakes than learning from them.
Louise Slorance's husband Andrew contracted the virus while being treated in hospital for cancer in 2020.
Ms Slorance was reacting to Nicola Sturgeon's evidence at the UK Covid Inquiry in Edinburgh.
She said she would "never forgive" those involved for what happened.
Andrew Slorance was head of the Scottish government's response and communication unit, which was responsible for its handling of the Covid pandemic.
When he died in December 2020 the first minister led tributes, saying the government was devastated.
Mr Slorance, 49, died in Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH), with the cause of his death listed as Covid pneumonia.
Speaking on Wednesday, Louise Slorance said there was a "culture of secrecy" within the Scottish government that continues to this day.
She said it was "clear" from Ms Sturgeon's evidence to the inquiry that the former first minister "likes to be in control" and added that "the secrecy must stop now".
Ms Slorance told BBC Scotland News: "I think so much evidence has been lost that we can't get the answers we all deserve and need in order to grieve properly.
"Mistakes were made. Probably they were known at the time. But there is a failure to acknowledge those mistakes and learn from them.
"And more effort is being put into hiding those than acknowledging them and taking the learning forward."
Aamer Anwar and members of the Scottish Covid Bereaved group
Ms Sturgeon's testimony was attacked by others who lost relatives to Covid.
Speaking outside the Edinburgh venue at the end of the day's evidence on Wednesday, lawyer Aamer Anwar made a statement on behalf of the Scottish Covid Bereaved group.
The group has accused the former first minister of a "betrayal of the many promises she made" during the pandemic.
Mr Anwar said: "Nicola Sturgeon as first minister became Scotland's master of spin and today was the greatest trial she has ever faced to date.
"There was no hiding place, no toleration of spin, no acceptance of tear-filled sorrow."
He said that in comparison to then Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Ms Sturgeon "projected a daily image of sincerity in wanting to do right by the people of Scotland during the pandemic".
But he added that her "carefully crafted image" had been left "shattered by her own hands".
Mr Anwar continued: "Those who lost loved ones were convinced that they would no longer be invisible in their misery, and Ms Sturgeon would do everything possible to illuminate the truth. That was the very least she owed to those who lost their lives to Covid.
"Today Nicola Sturgeon stands accused of a betrayal of the many promises she made, including that 'nothing would be off limits' in the public inquiries."
Nicola Sturgeon was giving evidence at the UK Covid Inquiry
Mr Anwar questioned why Ms Sturgeon deleted WhatsApp messages when she knew a public inquiry was going to happen.
He said it left his clients with questions over PPE, and "what discussions took place over the trial of Alex Salmond and whether they had any impact on a delay in the lockdown".
Mr Anwar said, as a former lawyer, Ms Sturgeon knows there are "severe consequences" for anyone choosing to delete information to prevent its disclosure to a public inquiry.
"My clients have asked me to consider asking for a criminal investigation into the actions of the former first minister and others, we will carefully consider our next steps once the evidence is completed today," he added.
Members of the group also spoke out.
Margaret Waterton, who lost her mother and husband to coronavirus, said Ms Sturgeon was a "consummate politician" but the context of the decision-making at the heart of government remained unclear.
"Ms Sturgeon said she had not had a day off for months during the pandemic. I would ask Ms Sturgeon to consider walking in our shoes, because we have not had a day off since the deaths of our loved ones," she said.
'Crocodile tears'
Pamela Thomas lost her brother, James Cameron, to the virus.
She said: "Crocodile tears aren't washing with me. If there is any tools available to my solicitors or the inquiry with regards to any criminal activity that took place, I would like them to use them all."
Meanwhile, Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross accused Ms Sturgeon of leading an "orchestrated cover-up of her government's actions during the pandemic".
And he claimed decision-making had been motivated by the SNP's political agenda.
"Her repeated claims that no meaningful decisions were taken over her deleted WhatsApps - and her cringeworthy efforts to deny she lied to the public over destroying them - were repeatedly exposed by evidence to the contrary," he said.
"This slippery performance confirmed what the public now know - Nicola Sturgeon is a discredited politician who betrayed bereaved families. That's why her reputation and credibility lie in ruins."