Matt Hancock discussed how the government should “get heavy with the police” to enforce Covid lockdown rules, leaked WhatsApp messages have revealed.
The then-health secretary, Boris Johnson and other top officials gave senior police officers their “marching orders” at a meeting just after the third national lockdown began in January 2021.
The latest messages emerged as Mr Hancock lashed out at journalist Isabel Oakeshott – who leaked the MP’s communications to The Daily Telegraph after working with him on his book – accusing her of “massive betrayal”.
But Ms Oakeshott called his claim the messages were not in the public interest “ridiculous”, and said anyone “who thinks I did this for money must be utterly insane”.
Newly-released messages show Mr Hancock discussed with top civil servant Simon Case his fears that police were failing to crack down on rule breaches. “I think we are going to have to get heavy with the police,” he said on 28 August 2020.
The ex-health secretary also told Mr Case he was pleased “the plod got their marching orders” after a meeting he attended with Mr Johnson and then home secretary Priti Patel on 10 January 2021.
Mr Case joked about travellers arriving in Britain being “locked up” in “shoe box” hotel rooms after quarantine curbs were introduced, messages from February 2021 show.
And Mr Johnson is said to have told Mr Hancock it was “superb” that two people were fined £10,000 for returning to Dubai without quarantining in March 2021.
Among the other new revelations from the collection of more than 100,000 WhatsApp messages, Mr Johnson was said to be concerned he would be criticised for “blinking too soon” on ordering a second national lockdown.
Messages with Mr Hancock show the then-PM made the observation a day after announcing the lockdown in November 2020, after being warned by a scientist that the decision was based on out-of-date data.
Mr Johnson told his health secretary that his media advisers had warned him that such a move was “too far ahead of public opinion”.
The ex-PM took the decision to set up Tier 4 curbs for England – which saw many Christmas plans – on 28 December 2020 at the very same time a festive party was taking place inside No 10, according to The Telegraph.
Meanwhile, Ms Oakeshott said in a statement on Thursday that she makes “no apology whatsoever for acting in the national interest” over her disclosure of the Hancock WhatsApp messages.
“Hard though it may be for him to believe, this isn’t about Matt Hancock. Nor is it about me,” said Ms Oakeshott, an anti-lockdown advocate. “We were all let down by the response to the pandemic and repeated unnecessary lockdowns. The greatest betrayal is of the entire country.”
Mr Hancock said in a statement that he was the victim of a “massive betrayal and breach of trust” and insisted: “There is absolutely no public interest case for this huge breach.” The ex-minister argued that he would explain his actions and messages at the official Covid inquiry.
He also denied Ms Oakeshott’s claim that he sent her a “menacing message” after the first publication of his WhatsApp messages. “When I then saw what she’d done, I messaged to say it was ‘a big mistake’. Nothing more.”
Teaching unions hit out at “snide” and “contemptible” comments by Sir Gavin Williamson, after leaked messages showed the then education secretary appearing to accuse staff of looking for an “excuse” not to work during the Covid pandemic.
Discussing schools buying PPE, Mr Williamson texted Mr Hancock: “Some will just want to say they can’t so they have an excuse to avoid having to teach, what joys!!!”
Writing on Twitter after the story emerged, Sir Gavin said he had not been criticising teachers but “some unions”, adding: “I have the utmost respect for teachers who work tirelessly to support students.”
