Emails released today highlighted the SNP's plans to rejoin the EU amid concerns over Covid restrictions.
An email showed the SNP was "extremely concerned" about travel restrictions remaining in the country when there was a "point prevalence rate of 0.015".
An email was copied to the first minister and a number of senior Scottish Government figures, sent on July 19 from the email address of then deputy first minister John Swinney.
However, the email, signed off by someone named Scott, said he was "extremely concerned" about travel restrictions remaining.
Scotland's former first minister Nicola Sturgeon arrives at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry hearing
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The email read: "There is visible action from the Spanish authorities to do whatever it takes to suppress outbreaks (compare and contrast with outbreaks in England).
"It won’t matter how much ministers might justify it on health grounds, the Spanish government will conclude it is entirely political; they won’t forget; there is a real possibility they will never approve EU membership for an independent Scotland as a result."
Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was asked about the contents of this email at the Covid inquiry.
She said in response: "These are decisions that were taken for public health reasons that were difficult decisions."
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Nicola Sturgeon MSP and John Swinney MSP
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During today's hearing, she denied the SNP tried to politicise the Covid pandemic to further the cause of Scottish independence.
A collection of minutes from a cabinet meeting in June 2020 were shown at the hearing.
The minutes showed that she and other members of the government "agreed that consideration should be given to restarting work on independence and a referendum, with the arguments reflecting the experience of the coronavirus crisis and developments on EU exit."
When asked the cabinet had agreed to seek to promote the cause of Scottish independence by politicising the pandemic, Sturgeon said: "I, respectfully, don’t think that is a fair or accurate reading of that paragraph."
The Covid Inquiry is ongoing
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Sturgeon said it was more important to her that "we did in Scotland what we thought was right than aligning with decisions we thought were wrong".
She said: "I feel to my core that the number of lives lost to this pandemic were far too high. We were never going to be able to get through a pandemic with no loss of life.
"I think it was far too high.
"I think the other impacts were far too high, and, you know, every death is a tragedy that I regret, and that people in this room and outside across the country are living with the grief and trauma of, so we didn’t do as well as I wish we were able to."
