COVID inquiry: Nicola Sturgeon admits there was ‘no plan’ to deal with the pandemic
Nicola Sturgeon has admitted Scotland had “no plan” to deal with the spread of COVID at an inquiry into the pandemic.
The former first minister argued her government was given “no choice” but to divert “significant resources” in anticipation of a no-deal Brexit.
The ex-SNP leader – who was in charge of Scotland for the duration of the pandemic – told the COVID inquiry on Thursday that although there was “thinking” about how ministers should deal with infectious diseases other than flu, nothing was ever put in writing.
When asked if she agreed with other people who previously described the plan as “wholly inadequate”, Ms Sturgeon answered: “In summary, yes.”
“The plan was for a different pandemic than the one we unfortunately were confronted with.”
She told the inquiry: “The questions in my mind, literally every day, are not so much did we lack a plan but did we lack capabilities for dealing with a pandemic of the nature of COVID.
“And obviously I’m talking there about contact tracing, testing, infrastructure in particular.”
Former first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, leaves after giving evidence
‘Every aspect of Brexit a false economy’
Ms Sturgeon said a “significant amount of time, energy and resources” were earmarked for a possible no-deal Brexit after being diverted from a “range of other matters”.
Despite COVID being identified as the “greatest risk facing the nation”, she told the inquiry the Scottish government had “no choice”.
She added: “I deeply regret any consequences that had for our emergency planning in other areas.”
And when questioned about whether this was a “false economy”, she replied: “I think every aspect of Brexit has been a false economy.”
After that comment, Ms Sturgeon – who dramatically announced she would quit as first minister in February, eventually handing control to her successor, Humza Yousaf – was warned she was in a “witness box, not a soap box” as she gave evidence to the inquiry.
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‘We did not get everything right’
Her deputy during the crisis, John Swinney, later told the hearing the Scottish government was “specifically prevented” from “building up a reserve” of funds that could be deployed in situations such as the COVID pandemic, due to the terms of the devolution agreement between Scotland and Westminster.
He said the UK government’s economic intervention was “very welcome” and “saved many people’s livelihoods from great jeopardy”.
However, it also demonstrated the scale of the financial challenge created by the pandemic, he added.
Ms Sturgeon earlier told the hearing that a pledge by her government to review what was described as the UK’s “sole strategy” for a possible influenza pandemic in 2011 never happened.
Ms Sturgeon admitted there was ‘no plan’ to deal with the spread of COVID
But she insisted even if the “four-nations plan” had been updated to reflect other non-flu pandemics, such as COVID-19, it would not have “changed substantially”.
“A review would not have changed the fundamental assumptions or planning or modelling at the heart of it,” she added.
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Earlier this week, disgraced former health secretary Matt Hancock also conceded the UK approach to the pandemic was “completely wrong”.
He also approached the public gallery in an attempt to say sorry to families who lost loved ones – but they snubbed his apology and turned their backs on him.
David Cameron, the former prime minister, also gave evidence earlier this month and said he was “desperately sorry” about the loss of life during the pandemic, admitting it was a “mistake” not to consider “a range of different types of pandemic” during preparations in the years before COVID.
The ex-Tory leader was heckled as he left the London inquiry – with bystanders shouting “shame on you” and asking if he had damaged the reputation of the Conservative Party.
UK drivers are “confused” by the country’s electric car transition, ministers are being warned.
Although most drivers are not hostile towards electric vehicles (EVs), many are confused about what changes are coming and when, according to new research from the AA.
In a survey of more than 14,000 AA members, 7% thought the government was banning the sale of used petrol and diesel cars.
Around a third thought manual EVs exist, despite them all being automatic.
More than one in five said they would never buy an EV.
The government’s plan for increasing the number of electric vehicles being driven in the UK focuses heavily on increasing the supply of the vehicles.
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What you can do to reach net zero
In 2024, at least 22% of new cars and 10% of new vans sold by each manufacturer in the UK had to be zero-emission, which generally means pure electric.
Each year, those percentages will rise, reaching 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans in 2030.
Manufacturers will face fines of £15,000 per vehicle if electric vehicle sales fall short of 28% of total production this year.
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By 2035, all new cars and vans will be required to be fully zero emission, according to the Department for Transport.
Second-hand diesel and petrol cars will still be allowed to be sold after this date, and their fuel will still be available.
There are more EVs – but will people buy them?
In February, 25% of new cars were powered purely by battery and in January, they made up 21% of all new cars registered in the UK.
But despite the growth of electric sales, manufacturers continue to warn that the market will not support the growth required to hit government EV targets, and called for consumer incentives and the extension of tax breaks.
The AA suggested the government’s plan focuses on “supply but does little to encourage demand for EVs”.
It called on ministers to co-ordinate a public awareness campaign alongside the motoring industry which directly targets drivers who doubt the viability of EVs.
“Our message to government is more needs to be done to make EVs accessible for everyone,” said Jakob Pfaudler, AA chief executive.
Which? head of consumer rights Sue Davis said: “When it comes to making sustainable choices such as switching to an electric car, our research shows that people are often held back by high costs, complex choices or uncertainty.
“The government needs to provide the right information on electric vehicles and other sustainable choices so that people have the confidence to switch.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re investing over £2.3bn to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs.
“This includes installing a public charge point every 28 minutes, keeping EV incentives in the company car tax regime to 2030, and extending 100% first-year allowances for zero-emission cars for another year.
“Second-hand EVs are also becoming cheaper than ever, with one in three available under £20,000 and 21 brand new models available for less than £30,000.
“We’re seeing growing consumer confidence as a result.”
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