The Scottish Government under Nicola Sturgeon has been heavily criticised in a major UK Covid Inquiry report for pursuing a zero-Covid strategy described as 'inappropriate and destined to fail'.
Damning Verdict on Pandemic Response
In a scathing assessment released yesterday, the UK-wide inquiry concluded that all four UK governments, including Scotland's administration, responded with 'too little, too late' when the pandemic struck. The comprehensive report, spanning two volumes and over 700 pages, highlighted critical failures in planning and preparation across the UK.
Baroness Heather Hallett, who chairs the inquiry, stated unequivocally: 'I can summarise my findings as "too little, too late"'. The report found that by mid-February 2020, governments had sufficient information to take decisive action but failed to demonstrate adequate urgency.
Sturgeon's Leadership Under Fire
The inquiry delivered particularly harsh criticism of the Scottish Government's approach under Ms Sturgeon's leadership. While acknowledging she was a 'serious and diligent leader', the report highlighted several concerning practices:
The zero-Covid elimination strategy was deemed fundamentally flawed given Scotland's open border with England and the absence of any agreement to close it.
Informal 'Gold Command' meetings reduced transparency and sidelined the Scottish cabinet, transforming it from a decision-making body to one that merely ratified decisions already taken elsewhere.
Key decisions about school closures were made by Ms Sturgeon and Deputy First Minister John Swinney outside cabinet meetings, leaving ministers excluded from critical discussions.
Political Tensions and Communication Failures
The inquiry revealed that 'political antipathy' between Nicola Sturgeon and then Prime Minister Boris Johnson created 'constant tension and lack of trust' between governments, which Baroness Hallett concluded was 'not in the interests of the people of the UK'.
Another significant concern centred on the use and deletion of WhatsApp messages by officials. The inquiry warned this practice could 'compromise decision-making' and potentially impede the work of public inquiries seeking to understand government actions during the crisis.
Aamer Anwar, representing the Scottish Covid Bereaved group, expressed the devastating human cost: 'The four governments gambled with the lives of our citizens and their failure to follow scientific advice in the early stages made a lockdown inevitable – but also a spiralling death toll.'
Devastating Human Impact
The virus, which first reached Scotland in early 2020, ultimately claimed 13,429 lives where Covid was mentioned on death certificates between 2020 and 2022. The inquiry found that devolved administrations had become 'too dependent' on the UK Government's response, leaving them 'significantly underprepared' for the scale of the crisis.
Baroness Hallett's report makes 19 key recommendations, including urgent reform of decision-making structures during emergencies within all four UK governments to prevent similar failures in future crises.
