Official report condemns handling of pandemic by leaders of the UK’s devolved nations
Nicola Sturgeon excluded senior advisers from decision-making during the pandemic by holding “gold command meetings” with a small circle, reducing transparency and accountability, the Covid inquiry has found.
In a damning report on how UK politicians handled Covid, former prime minister Boris Johnson was criticised for presiding over a “toxic and chaotic” culture and making late decisions that cost lives.
Along with the UK government, leaders of the devolved nations came under fire, with the report stating “there was a serious failure by all four governments to appreciate the level of risk and the calamity that the UK faced”.
Sturgeon, then first minister of Scotland, was found to have been a “serious and diligent leader who took responsibility for decisions” but who excluded other senior decision-makers.
