What did Jason Leitch do? Scotland’s National Clinical Director faces resignation calls over WhatsApp row

Jason Leitch, Scotland's National Clinical Director, is under pressure to resign from his role following the revelation that he deleted WhatsApp messages during the COVID-19 period and provided First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf with guidance on how to maintain exemption from mask-wearing rules.

Contrary to allegations, Jason Leitch has refuted the assertion that he routinely deleted WhatsApp messages every night throughout the pandemic, dismissing the claims as a "flippant exaggeration." Despite earlier characterizing it as a "pre-bed ritual" in conversations with colleagues on WhatsApp, he has now denied such a routine.

As per GB News, Leitch stated that, to his understanding, informal messages were meant to be deleted once "salient information" had been officially documented. In the previous week's inquiry, transcripts of group chats among government officials from May 2021 were presented.

Ken Thomson, the Scottish Government's Director General of Strategy and External Affairs, posted a reminder in a group chat, accompanied by an emoji with its mouth zipped shut, stating:

"I feel moved at this point to remind you that this channel is FOI-recoverable."

Jason Leitch is currently providing testimony to the UK COVID-19 inquiry, with the proceedings taking place in Edinburgh.

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Jason Leitch denies the rumors of deleting the Whatsapp messages during Covid - 19

Jason Leitch has been accused of deleting the Whatsapp conversation between him and the then Health Secretary Humza Yousaf. Their conversations has been taen into account by the COVID-19 enquiry. But, Jason Leitch has denied these rumors.

He verified his use of an auto-delete function on a COVID-19-related WhatsApp chat throughout the pandemic. He maintained that he adhered to the records management policy of the Scottish government, and said:

“I didn’t daily delete my WhatsApp. My position is – as I have just described to you – that I tried to do today’s work today and if I could assure myself that work had been managed and dealt with, then I would delete the informal messaging that had led to that moment."

An user mocked Jason Leitch on X stating:

Leitch, who considered himself the primary clinical communicator during the pandemic, faced inquiries regarding the extent of his direct advice to the Scottish Government on pandemic rules and guidance. He maintained that any advice he provided was within the context of a broader group of clinical advisers.

Additionally, he emphasized that it would be unfair to suggest that he distanced himself from responsibility when offering advice.

Regarding deleting the Whatsapp messages, Jason Leitch pointed out that he had also implemented an auto-delete function for a group that included Chief Medical Officer Gregor Smith and Jim McMenamin, the Chairman of the National Incident Management Team.

He expressed his "comfort" with utilizing the auto-delete function, even acknowledging the potential risk of erasing messages before submission to the corporate record. According to him, the rapid nature of the decisions being made justified this approach.

Simultaneously, in Holyrood, Scottish Labour Health Spokeswoman Jackie Baillie remarked that Professor Leitch seemed to have provided advice to Mr. Yousaf on "how to avoid the rules." She suggested that if the government deemed his behavior "inappropriate," he should be dismissed from his position. She said:

"It is clear that Leitch wiped his messages completely and seem to find the period during the pandemic all quite funny, judging from the messages we have seen."

As per the BBC, Scottish Tory Health spokesman Dr. Sandesh Gulhane stated that:

"Behind the scenes, it is clear the Scottish government was mocking us, believing none of this would ever come to light."

Deputy First Minister Shona Robison emphasized the importance of allowing the inquiry to thoroughly examine messages and decision-making.

During a press conference held outside the inquiry venue at Edinburgh International Conference Centre, Caroleanne Stewart from Scottish Covid Bereaved allegedly questioned why Leitch was "still in a job."

“I would just like to say he (Leitch) was a very confident man, but when he left, he wasn’t so confident because he was caught out, not only by King’s Counsel and the judge, and we are very grateful for that. why are people still dying from Covid in hospitals (and) in care settings? If he’s still in that job, let him answer that question: what is he doing now to stop the death from Covid-19?”

Leitch added that the Scottish Government fell short of being as "transparent" as it could have been. At one point, he informed former finance secretary Kate Forbes that the daily press briefings were "not very well organized."