NICOLA Sturgeon has been accused of showing "no leadership" in preparing Scotland for the pandemic and asked whether failings were down to “negligence or incompetence”.

The First Minister was pressed by both Scottish Tory Holyrood leader Ruth Davidson and Labour interim leader Jackie Baillie over a report published by Audit Scotland.

Ms Baillie pointed to the Audit Scotland document, pointing to a conclusion that problems highlighted in three pandemic planning exercises “became areas of significant challenge during the Covid-19 pandemic”.

Speaking at First Minister’s questions, Ms Baillie asked Ms Sturgeon whether her claims that warnings were ignored was down to “negligence or incompetence”.

Ms Baillie told MSPs that flu pandemic planning that the Scottish Government did carry out “repeatedly highlighted vulnerabilities", adding that "had the First Minister listened to the warnings to the threats facing social care...lives could have been saved".

The interim Labour leader claimed that "there was no leadership in preparing for this pandemic" adding it is important "to learn beforehand".

She added: "When presented with recommendations, the government simply did not listen. They were too slow to prepare and too slow to act.

"We were simply not prepared."

The First Minister stressed that the Scottish Government "will continue to take these decisions based on the best advice" and "we'll also learn the real lessons of this one".

Ms Sturgeon told MSPs that "we must learn as we go".

She added: "I think the real criticism here for governments like this one is we should have been better prepared for a SARS-type virus."

Earlier, Ms Davidson also highlighted the Audit Scotland analysis which she claimed shows a "catalogue of missed opportunities".

Ms Davidson pointed to issues of PPE supplies in the report, asking "why didn't the Scottish Government act on the repeated warnings it received?"

The Scottish Tory Holyrood leader claimed that listening to warnings would have meant "doctors, nurses and carers would have been properly protected".

Ms Davidson added that the report shows the Scottish Government was "less prepared than it should have been".

She claimed there were "mistakes that cost the lives of care home residents" and told Ms Sturgeon that "her government was warned again and again and again".

She added: "There were years when this First Minister could have acted. What stopped her?"

The First Minister raised “one of the paramount points” in the Audit Scotland document, which she said shows “the NHS and the Scottish Government responded quickly" to the crisis and said changes were made following planning exercises.

She added: "A range of national and local pandemic guidance and plans were updated to take account of these exercises."

Ms Sturgeon insisted that at no point during the pandemic has Scotland ran out of PPE, adding that there have been "robust supplies of the right PPE".

She added that officials have also "developed a domestic supply chain of PPE".

The First Minister told MSPs she has "admitted mistakes all along" during the pandemic.

She added: "I for as long as I live will regret the toll this virus has taken."

But Ms Sturgeon stressed that "because of some of the decisions we have taken and the efforts of health and social care workers across the country" there has been a "lower number of cases than other parts of the UK".