Nicola Sturgeon said she wanted to be “the best First Minister” during the Covid pandemic as she appeared emotional giving evidence to the UK Covid Inquiry.

During a full-day session, she answered questions that included WhatsApp messages, allegations of political manoeuvring and questions over transparency.

Ms Sturgeon, who was the first minister who ordered Scotland into lockdown in March 2020, in line with the UK Government instructions, admitted there was a large part of her that wishes she had not been Scotland's first minister during the Covid pandemic.

Ms Sturgeon became emotional at the UK Covid-19 inquiry as she spoke of being "overwhelmed" at times in the early days of the crisis.

Glasgow Times:

She said: "I was the First Minister when the pandemic struck.

"There's a large part of me wishes that I hadn't been, but I was, and I wanted to be the best first minister."

She added it was "for others to judge" if she succeeded in her aim.

Ms Sturgeon denied suggestions that the Scottish Government used the pandemic for political purposes.

Michael Gove, UK Government minister previously accused the Scottish Government of seeking "political conflict" during the pandemic.

Ms Sturgeon, again appearing emotional, said: "The idea that in those horrendous days, weeks, I was thinking of political opportunity" was "not the case".

She added: "At times in those early days, I felt overwhelmed by the scale of what we were dealing with and perhaps more than anything, I felt an overwhelming responsibility to do the best I could."

Jamie Dawson, KC and Counsel for the Inquiry, asked Ms Sturgeon: "Is it still your position today that you and the Scottish Government were open, transparent and accountable in your actions, not just in your words, at all times throughout the pandemic response in Scotland?"

Ms Sturgeon said: "Yes, that is still my position. Openness and transparency with the Scottish public was very important to me from the outset of the pandemic. I communicated to the public on a daily basis for a lengthy period of time.

"We will not have got every decision right, and we will have made misjudgments and there will be undoubtedly instances put to me today where on reflection I will think that we could have been more transparent than we were, but given the nature of the emergency that we were confronted with, building a relationship of trust with the public was important, and in my view then and in my view now that had to be built on a spirit of openness."

She maintained that she did not use informal messaging apps for decision making but Mr Dawson, put it to her that she "at least rarely used them".

Ms Sturgeon said: "I have not said and I'm not saying today that I never used informal means of communication.

“What I am saying is that I did so very rarely and not to discuss issues of substance or anything that could be described as decision-making.

"There was a high degree of formality around the decision-making of the Scottish Government."

As the inquiry before Lady Hallett broke for lunch, members of the Scottish Covid Bereaved said questions were still unanswered.

Peter McMahon, who lost his wife Debbie, said both the UK and Scottish governments should "hang their heads in shame".

Pamela Thomas lost her brother James Cameron during the pandemic.

She said too much time was being taken up on the issue of WhatsApp messages and said: "I don't think they're capable of actually telling the truth or being transparent."

She added: "Crocodile tears aren't washing with me.”