Nicola Sturgeon will be told to give evidence at a UK Covid-19 enquiry next year.

The First Minister will provide information at hearings in Scotland about the pandemic which claimed the lives of thousands of people across the country.

It comes as part of Baroness Heather Hallett’s investigation into parts of the virus response by Westminster, with Module 2a looking at the Scottish element.

The Scottish senior counsel to the inquiry, Jamie Dawson KC, said the Sturgeon will be among politicians and officials to be issued with a Rule Nine request.

This is a demand for a written statement which can even request other documentation and for the recipient to provide oral evidence.

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Mr Dawson told the virtual hearing: “It is intended that individual rule nine requests will be issued in Module 2a to the First Minister of Scotland, the Deputy First Minister, and to the Secretary of State to Scotland, and to multiple Cabinet secretaries of the Scottish Government who played roles in high level political and administrative decisions with which this module is concerned.”

Speaking from Edinburgh, the KC told Baroness Hallett requests had already been served to Scottish Government directorates and core participants in the inquiry would be kept informed of its progress in monthly updates.

“In addition, a proposed list of witnesses for the oral hearings will be issued to core participants in due course,” he said.

The Scottish hearings in the UK-wide inquiry will be heard from January 15 next year.

“All of those who are involved in this module are working on familiarising themselves with the issues which faced Scotland in the pandemic and the investigation of the Scottish decisions which this module involves, all within the framework of a larger UK inquiry,” he said.

“Those listening should be in no doubt this inquiry operates in Scotland, with Scotland and for Scotland.”