Matt Hancock has announced he’ll publish Covid diaries giving his “unique perspective” of the pandemic.
Likely months or years before a public inquiry reports back, the former Health Secretary is promising a “unique and candid account of Britain’s battle to turn the tide”.
And after more than 170,000 deaths, he will “reveal the crucial moments of the struggle to save lives”, publishers Biteback said.
The diaries will be published later this year and Mr Hancock’s royalties will be donated to NHS charities.
Mr Hancock, who quit after breaking social distancing rules in a steamy clinch with an aide on CCTV, will offer “an honest assessment of the lessons we need to learn for next time – because there will be a next time,” a press release said.
But the account is likely to be controversial, after Mr Hancock was accused of presiding over a chaotic start to the pandemic.
Twitter observers suggested such joke titles as The Gropes of Wrath, How I single handedly saved the world and got the Girl, and Yes Yes Yes Minister.
Mr Hancock's supporters argue he pushed harder for lockdown than other Cabinet ministers who wanted to keep the economy open.
But ex-No10 aide Dominic Cummings claimed the Health Secretary claimed people would be tested in care homes, promising a protective ring - only for the virus to run rampant and kill tens of thousands in care.
Mr Cummings said last year: “The government rhetoric was ‘we put a shield around care homes, blah blah blah’ - that was complete nonsense.
“Quite the opposite of putting a shield round them, we sent people with Covid back to the care homes.”
Mr Cummings told MPs Mr Hancock "should have been fired for at least 15-20 things" and accused him of “lying to everybody on multiple occasions" - including in the Cabinet room.
Mr Hancock has previously denied Mr Cummings’ claims, saying: “These unsubstantiated allegations around honesty are not true.
"I've been straight with people in public and in private throughout."
On care homes, he added: "We followed the clinical advice on the appropriate way forward."
The diaries will allow Mr Hancock to put across his side of the story before a public inquiry is published into the handling of Covid.
It will start hearings in the spring and publish any reports in "a timely manner", though many fear this will not happen until the next election.
Draft Terms of Reference do not name Boris Johnson or promise to look at the individual behaviour of the Prime Minister.
But they do vow to look at how prepared the government was and "how decisions were made, communicated and implemented", including in the disastrous month before lockdown was imposed on 23 March 2020.
More than 20,000 people have demanded the terms of reference are changed as part of a consultation.
