Bungling Mark Drakeford admits he does have WhatsApp on his phone after Welsh First Minister tells Senedd he could not have deleted Covid-era  messages because he does not use it – only for Tories to provide screenshot showing he does

Welsh First Minister has been forced to admit he does have WhatsApp on his phone after telling the Senedd he didn’t use it in a row over Covid-era messages.

Mark Drakeford, 69, was forced to correct the record last night after telling the assembly on Tuesday that while some messages from his government may have been delated, he did not use the popular communications app. 

In a session on Tuesday Mr Drakeford told MSs: ‘I know, in my case, I’ve never had any deletion arrangements on the phone, because I would have no idea how to make it happen. I don’t use WhatsApp either.’

But he was forced to correct the record in a letter to presiding officer Elin Jones after the opposition Tories provided proof that he does have the app on his phone. 

He said: ‘I have reviewed my exchange with the leader of the Welsh Conservatives during First Minister’s Questions (FMQs) yesterday (7 November) and I would like to clarify that I have WhatsApp downloaded to my Senedd-issued mobile phone.

Mark Drakeford, 69, was forced to correct the record last night after telling the assembly on Tuesday that while some messages from his government may have been delated, he did not use the popular communications app.

But he was forced to correct the record in a letter to presiding officer Elin Jones after the opposition Tories provided proof that he does have the app on his phone.

‘I do not use it regularly to send messages. I would appreciate it if the Record could be amended on this particular point.’

He also wrote that the Welsh Government did not use ‘informal means of communication to make decisions during the pandemic’.

Speaking in the Senedd, Mr Drakeford said the Welsh Government ‘did not rely on informal means of communication in order to make decisions during the COVID period’. 

‘As soon as we were aware that the inquiry would wish to have material disclosed to it, no instruction of any sort was issued in the Welsh Government that material should be deleted.’ he added.

‘So, as soon as we knew that the inquiry wanted something, there’s no deletion beyond that point. However, during the COVID period itself, many colleagues working for the Welsh Government will have had devices with deletion instructions already on them, and those things may have remained on their phones, because at the point nobody, I think—absolutely nobody—was focused on whether those messages might be required at some future distant point.’

He then added: ‘I think the fairer way of putting it is that deletion may have taken place. I know, in my case, I’ve never had any deletion arrangements on the phone, because I would have no idea how to make it happen. I don’t use WhatsApp either.’

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