ANAS Sarwar has called on the Scottish Government’s new permanent secretary to carry out a comprehensive review “into the systemic secrecy the SNP have embedded” in their administration.

The Scottish Labour leader said there was a “corrosive culture” at the “the heart of the SNP government” and that John-Paul Marks, had “an opportunity to restore the reputation of the civil service as a leader in public administration and deliver a welcome fresh start.”

However, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon dismissed his claims, describing them as “pretty desperate”.

In a letter to the senior civil servant, Mr Sarwar listed a number of recent scandals that have dogged the SNP, including questions around the ferry contracts awarded to Ferguson’s Marine and “the highly-publicised missing documents relating to decision making about the contracts”.

He also pointed to “routine attempts to withhold information requested under FOI; the cover-up of the Covid outbreak at the NIKE conference and subsequent obfuscation around the pandemic, including care home deaths; the multitude of cover-ups at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital; a history of obfuscation towards Holyrood inquiries and failing to provide information requested by the courts; the lack of transparency around industrial interventions highlighted by the Auditor General; and the lack of information available on the use of Covid funding highlighted by Audit Scotland.”

Mr Sarwar said: “There is a corrosive culture of secrecy at the heart of the SNP government, which is risking the principles of transparency and accountability at the heart of our democracy.”

He added: “After 15 years of SNP government, it will require a full overhaul to put a stop to cover-ups and closed-door government – but the new permanent secretary has a chance to deliver this fresh start.

“We need a comprehensive investigation into the systemic secrecy the SNP have embedded throughout their Government so we can restore desperately needed transparency and accountability into public life.”

Speaking in Aberdeen during the STUC Congress, First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, told the PA news agency that Mr Sarwar’s assertions were “wrong”.

“There is no culture of secrecy,” she said.

“There is an approach to everything in the Scottish Government that prioritises transparency.

“I think it’s pretty desperate for Anas Sarwar to be harking back to an inquiry that concluded a year ago and perhaps that tells us all we need to know about just how little evidence there is for the accusations he’s making.”