Matt Hancock rejected expert advice to test residents going into English care homes for Covid, leaked WhatsApp messages reportedly reveal.
However, the MP has denied the “distorted account” with a spokesman alleging the messages leaked by journalist Isabel Oakeshott after she worked on his Pandemic Diaries memoir have been “spun to fit an anti-lockdown agenda”. Mr Hancock was said to be “considering all options” in response to the leak, with a source close to him telling the PA news agency: “She’s broken a legal NDA (non-disclosure agreement). Her behaviour is outrageous.”
The Telegraph has obtained conversations from 100,000 WhatsApp messages. They apparently show how then health secretary Hancock did not follow the advice of Chief Medical Office (CMO) Prof Sir Chris Whitty.
About a month into the pandemic, in April 2020, Prof Whitty said there should be testing for “all going into care homes”. However, Mr Hancock did not follow that guidance, telling his advisers that it “muddies the waters”.
Hancock introduced guidance that made testing mandatory for those entering care homes from hospital, but not for those coming from the community. Prior to this, care homes were told that negative tests were not required for patients coming from hospital.
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Guidance stating that those coming in from the community should be tested for Covid was eventually introduced on Augus 14. Between April 17 and August 13, 2020, a total of 17,678 people died of Covid in care homes in England. There were more than 40,000 Covid deaths in care homes in England during the first two years of the pandemic.
The Telegraph has said it will release more details from the leaked messages - it says will " lay bare the extent to which groupthink among aides and ministers affected pandemic decisions" - over the coming days.
The “lockdown files” investigation also contains:
- Claims that officials couriered Jacob Rees-Mogg a Covid test for one of his children while there was a shortage.
- Mr Hancock telling former chancellor George Osborne, then editor of the Evening Standard, “I WANT TO HIT MY TARGET!” as he pushed for favourable front-page coverage.
Ms Oakeshott, who has described lockdowns as an “unmitigated disaster”, said she was releasing the messages because it would take “many years” before the end of the official Covid inquiry, which she claimed could be a “colossal whitewash”.
“That’s why I’ve decided to release this sensational cache of private communications – because we absolutely cannot wait any longer for answers,” she said.
In a one message, Mr Hancock said Sir Chris had finished a review and recommended “testing of all going into care homes, and segregation whilst awaiting result”.
Mr Hancock described it as “obviously a good positive step”.
However, the investigation said he later responded to an aide: “Tell me if I’m wrong but I would rather leave it out and just commit to test & isolate ALL going into care from hospital. I do not think the community commitment adds anything and it muddies the waters.”
The spokesman for Mr Hancock said “the Telegraph story is wrong”, arguing that “instead of spinning and leaks we need the full, comprehensive inquiry”.
“It is outrageous that this distorted account of the pandemic is being pushed with partial leaks, spun to fit an anti-lockdown agenda, which would have cost hundreds of thousands of lives if followed. What the messages do show is a lot of people working hard to save lives,” the spokesman said.
“The story spun on care homes is completely wrong. What the messages show is that Mr Hancock pushed for testing of those going into care homes when that testing was available.
“The full documents have already all been made available to the inquiry, which is the proper place for an objective assessment, so true lessons can be learned.”
In September 2020, during a severe backlog in testing, messages suggest an adviser to Mr Hancock helped get a test sent to senior Conservative Mr Rees-Mogg’s home.
The aide messaged Mr Hancock to say the lab had “lost” the original test for one of the then Commons leader’s children, “so we’ve got a courier going to their family home tonight”.
He added: “Jacob’s spad (special adviser) is aware and has helped line it all up, but you might want to text Jacob.”
Commenting on the claim, Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “This is yet more evidence that it’s one rule for Conservative ministers and another for everyone else.
“The Covid inquiry must look into reports Conservative ministers were able to get priority access to tests at a time of national shortage.”
As he battled to meet his own target of 100,000 coronavirus tests per day, the investigation shows Mr Hancock texted his former boss Mr Osborne to “call in a favour”.
Mr Hancock said he has thousands of spare testing slots which is “obvs good news about spread of virus” but “hard for my target” as he asked for front page coverage.
Mr Osborne responded: “Yes – of course – all you need to do tomorrow is give some exclusive words to the Standard and I’ll tell the team to splash it.”
The then health secretary later added: “I WANT TO HIT MY TARGET!”
Mr Hancock has hit back at what he says is a “distorted account” on his handling of care home testing in the pandemic that has been “spun to fit an anti-lockdown agenda”.
A spokesman for the former health secretary said: “It is outrageous that this distorted account of the pandemic is being pushed with partial leaks, spun to fit an anti-lockdown agenda, which would have cost hundreds of thousands of lives if followed. What the messages do show is a lot of people working hard to save lives.
“The full documents have already all been made available to the inquiry, which is the proper place for an objective assessment, so true lessons can be learned.
“The story spun on care homes is completely wrong. What the messages show is that Mr Hancock pushed for testing of those going into care homes when that testing was available.
“Instead of spinning and leaks we need the full, comprehensive inquiry, to ensure we are as well prepared as we can be for the next pandemic, whenever it comes.”
