Wales’s first minister Vaughan Gething has said he is “entirely relaxed” after being accused of misleading the UK COVID Inquiry.
Nation.Cymru reported on Tuesday that Mr Gething sent a text message in which he said “I’m deleting the messages in this group”.
“They can be captured in an FOI [Freedom of Information request] and I think we are all in the right place on the choice being made,” the message added.
The Welsh news outlet reported the message was posted in a ministerial group chat on Monday 17 August 2020.
“The message that has been published today is a message from me without the context of the discussion,” Mr Gething said at First Minister’s questions.
“I have asked for the screenshot in its full form to be shared with the inquiry so the context can be seen.”
Leader of the Welsh Conservative group, Andrew RT Davies, has written to inquiry chair Baroness Hallett.
When asked about the message by Mr Davies, Mr Gething said it was part of “a conversation between ministers that relates to a Labour group meeting in August 2020”.
“It does not relate to decisions captured and it’s actually about the way in which we described what we are doing,” he said.
Mr Gething said he was “entirely relaxed about the screenshot”.
“If they want to question me about it, I will have no difficulty at all in appearing before them and having the conversation,” he said.
“August 2020 is nearly four years ago, but I am still affected on a regular basis by the choices we had to make and the pressure we were under.
“I have been and will continue to be entirely honest and transparent with the inquiry about what I did and why, and the choices that I helped to make to try and keep our country safe.”
Vaughan Gething has…
