The journalist behind the leak of tens of thousands messages Matt Hancock sent during the pandemic has said the former health secretary sent her a “menacing message” after their publication in The Telegraph.
Isabel Oakeshott, who was given the WhatsApp exchanges by Mr Hancock while they were collaborating on a book about the pandemic, said it was clear he was not happy after she gave him no advance notice about what she was doing.
“I received a somewhat menacing message at 1.20 in the morning. I am not going to repeat what was in the message. I think you can easily surmise whether Matt Hancock is my friend at this point,” she told TalkTV's Piers Morgan Uncensored.
Ms Oakeshott confirmed that she broke a non-disclosure agreement to pass the messages but said she believed she was acting in the public interest as it could be years before the official inquiry into the pandemic reports.
“The reality is that this inquiry, which I think is absolutely critical, will likely not come up with any conclusions, left to the Government's own devices, perhaps for at least a decade or more,” she said.
“This resource that I had is an extraordinary way to quickly get to the truth of what happened. I think the public interest is overwhelming.”
Writing for The Telegraph on Tuesday, Ms Oakeshott had explained her reasons for making the information public, saying people “absolutely cannot wait any longer for answers”.
Mr Hancock responded on Wednesday, claiming his “doctored” WhatsApp messages from the height of the pandemic have been “spun to fit an anti-lockdown agenda”.
A source close to the former health secretary told the Press Association that Mr Hancock was “considering all options” with regard to Ms Oakeshott. The source said: “She’s broken a legal NDA. Her behaviour is outrageous.”
Meanwhile, exchanges seen by The Telegraph reveal that Mr Hancock mounted a “rearguard action” to close schools despite Sir Gavin Williamson battling “tooth and nail” to keep classrooms open.
