Matt Hancock: I didn’t read SAGE meeting minutes at start of Covid pandemic
Matt Hancock today admitted he did not read the minutes of SAGE at the start of the pandemic and instead relied on a summary from Sir Chris Whitty. The Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies, or SAGE, is an expert group deployed in an emergency to integrate independent scientific research and analysis from across government, academia and industry. During […]
Covid inquiry: Matt Hancock labels Dominic Cummings a ‘malign actor’ and cause of ‘toxic culture’ in No 10
Matt Hancock has rejected accusations that he lied during the pandemic as health secretary. Under question at the Covid inquiry, it was put to the former health secretary that a series of senior government officials have made reference in their evidence to “lying, [and] to you getting overexcited and just staying stuff”. In response, Hancock […]
Inside Boris Johnson’s No 10: Official dubbed ‘Party Marty’ and Dominic Cummings to face Covid inquiry this week
The Downing Street official dubbed “Party Marty” and former chief adviser to Boris Johnson Dominic Cummings are among those scheduled to give testimony to the Covid inquiry this week. After four months of hearings, the accounts given by Cummings, Martin Reynolds as well as Lee Cain, his ex-communications chief, will provide potentially damning insight into […]
Brexit looms large as Britain considers Covid legacy
As Britain left the EU, Covid entered the UK. On January 29th 2020, the UK’s first patients tested positive for Coronavirus when two Chinese nationals from the same family staying at a hotel in York fell ill. Britain left the EU two days later at 11pm on 31 January and Brexiteers poured into parliament square […]
Labour calls for ‘speedy investigation’ into senior Conservative MP lobbying claims
Labour has called for a “speedy investigation” into claims a senior Conservative MP lobbied the head of the NHS on behalf of a firm paying him £1,600 a month. According to leaked WhatsApp messages revealed as part of The Telegraph‘s “lockdown files”, Steve Brine, the chairman of the health select committee, said in a text […]
Week-in-Review: Covid sleaze is back and more politically potent than ever
On Tuesday evening, former health secretary Matt Hancock caught wind of disconcerting rumours that a significant story about him was brewing. The concerned MP texted Isabel Oakeshott, the anti-lockdown journalist and unlikely co-author of his pandemic memoirs, asking her if she had “any clues” about the developments. He received no reply. A little later on, […]
Union accuses Gavin Williamson of ‘sneering denigration’ of teachers over leaked messages
Gavin Williamson has come under fire for a series of leaked messages which revealed he said teachers were looking for an “excuse” not to work during the pandemic. In the alleged messages, the then-education secretary criticised teaching unions during the pandemic saying that they “really do just hate work”. The leaked WhatsApp messages have been […]
Hancock messages suggest ‘protective ring’ around care homes ‘wasn’t there’, Labour says
Labour has accused former health secretary Matt Hancock of failing to place a “protective ring” around care homes during the pandemic. As health secretary, Mr Hancock repeatedly insisted that care homes were being protected, a line Labour has cast doubt on after the uncovering of leaked WhatsApp messages the then-health secretary sent through Covid. The […]
It’s ‘difficult’ to remember every MP code of conduct says Alberto Costa
Matt Hancock loses the whip after joining I’m A Celebrity
Swapping a swanky suit for khaki’s and a boonie hat, Matt Hancock’s appearance on ‘I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!’ has lost him the Conservative whip. The politician, who had to resign after being found to have broken lockdown rules after kissing his aide Gina Coladangel in the office, will be the 12th star to […]
