Nicola Sturgeon is set to give evidence at the UK COVID-19 Inquiry today following a series of bombshell revelations.
The former Scottish first minister will appear before Baroness Heather Hallett as the inquiry holds hearings in Edinburgh.
It comes as the ex-SNP leader is facing intense scrutiny around the deletion of WhatsApp messages from the pandemic.
Ms Sturgeon has admitted WhatsApps had not been retained on her own devices but said she had managed to retrieve copies to submit to the inquiry.
Scottish Government ministers and officials have said decisions were routinely recorded on the official system even if messages were deleted in line with policy.
Last week, Ms Sturgeon’s former chief of staff Liz Lloyd gave evidence to the inquiry with messages between the pair shown.
In one exchange, Ms Sturgeon referred to then prime minister Boris Johnson as a “f****** clown.”
Current First Minister Humza Yousaf, in his evidence to the inquiry last Thursday, offered an “unreserved” apology for the Scottish Government’s “frankly poor” handling of requests for WhatsApp messages.
He has announced an external review into the Scottish Government’s use of mobile messaging.
Ms Sturgeon may also face questions about her decision to provide public health expert Professor Devi Sridhar with her SNP email address to “privately” be contacted.
It is understood she forwarded any such emails to the Scottish Government and offered to supply the inquiry with them if required.
