{"id":120149,"date":"2023-11-08T13:39:12","date_gmt":"2023-11-08T13:39:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogcamlodipine.com\/?p=120149"},"modified":"2023-11-08T13:39:12","modified_gmt":"2023-11-08T13:39:12","slug":"mark-drakeford-admits-he-misled-welsh-parliament-over-whatsapp-deletion-row","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogcamlodipine.com\/politics\/mark-drakeford-admits-he-misled-welsh-parliament-over-whatsapp-deletion-row\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Drakeford admits he misled Welsh Parliament over WhatsApp deletion row"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mark Drakeford clashes with Davies over Welsh NHS<\/h3>\n

Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford has been caught out after claiming he does not use WhatsApp after it emerged Welsh Government messages from during the pandemic may have been erased.<\/p>\n

Mr Drakeford told the Welsh Assembly he himself did not use WhatsApp and would not know how to automatically delete texts.<\/p>\n

Shortly after his claim, however, the Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies received a screenshot appearing to show the First Minister\u2019s WhatsApp profile, countering his claim he never used the service.<\/p>\n

Mr Drakeford has now written a letter to the Senedd\u2019s speaker, Elin Jones, admitting he does have the app downloaded to his official mobile phone.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cI have reviewed my exchange with the leader of the Welsh Conservatives during First Minister\u2019s Questions (FMQs) yesterday (7 November) and I would like to clarify that I have WhatsApp downloaded to my Senedd-issued mobile phone.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: <\/strong> Sturgeon insists has \u2018nothing to hide\u2019 but refuses to say if she deleted texts<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u201cI do not use it regularly to send messages. I would appreciate it if the Record could be amended on this particular point.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that the Welsh Government did not use \u201cinformal means of communication to make decisions during the pandemic\u201d.<\/p>\n

During yesterday\u2019s FMQs session, Mr Drakeford said some messages sent by people working in Government during the pandemic may have been deleted.<\/p>\n

Opposition parties voiced their concerns about transparency, given WhatsApp messages from No. 10 Downing Street have formed a central aspect of the Covid Inquiry\u2019s current investigation.<\/p>\n

The row also closely mirrors one in Scotland, where the SNP Government has failed to hand over large swathes of messages.<\/p>\n

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