Nicola Sturgeon was accused of “leading a government that was addicted to secrecy at every turn” after it emerged she used her private SNP email address for government business.
In a message between the former Scottish first minister and public health expert Professor Devi Sridhar – shown to the UK COVID-19 Inquiry – Ms Sturgeon provided an SNP email address where she said she could be contacted “privately” alongside her official email where she could be reached “officially”.
Ms Sturgeon told the academic “don’t worry about protocol” in the exchange in June 2020.
The Scottish Tories have now urged the former SNP leader to publish all private party emails used for Government business.
Scottish Conservative Chairman Craig Hoy said: “These devastating revelations show Nicola Sturgeon was leading a government that was addicted to secrecy at every turn.
“Using her SNP email account to conduct government business, thereby circumventing Freedom of Information laws, is wholly unacceptable and begs further questions about what she and other senior figures were trying to hide.
“That is why the former First Minister must for once do the right thing and be totally transparent.
“Nicola Sturgeon, along with all SNP ministers, must publish every single message trail – not just from the pandemic period – when she used this party email account to carry out government business.
“She owes it to grieving families to outline in full the content of these emails. Anything less would be a disgraceful betrayal of them.
“The wider public cannot be kept in the dark either. We must know how prevalent the use of SNP email accounts was during Nicola Sturgeon’s time in office.
“Her reputation lies in tatters but the bereaved deserve some semblance of respect and transparency from her.”
Meanwhile, Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie has written to Permanent Secretary John Paul Marks – Scotland’s top civil servant – asking what action he has taken to investigate the issue.
She said: “Like millions of Scots I have watched the ongoing UK Covid-19 Inquiry with increasing concern.
“Families deserve justice and answers – but it is clear that the secretive and improper actions of senior SNP politicians, advisers and civil servants are denying the people the answers they deserve.
“Yesterday, it was revealed that Nicola Sturgeon – the former first minister – directed advisers to email her at her SNP party email address in a clear and deliberate breach of protocol.
“This action means that important information regarding the pandemic may not be accessible to the public.”
Dame Jackie said she has been told by former cabinet ministers “the use of SNP emails was widespread”.
A source close to Ms Sturgeon said: “Any emails relevant to the management of the pandemic received by Nicola to her private email were passed to the Scottish Government so that they could be actions and recorded appropriately.”
