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11 months ago
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Matt Hancock is braced for a grilling at the Covid Inquiry today after fellow ministers and advisers slammed his handling of the pandemic response.
The former health secretary is scheduled for a full day of evidence as he defends himself from claims he 'lied' to colleagues about what his department was doing to contain the burgeoning crisis.
In one memorable piece of testimony previously, a senior civil servant recalled how in the early stages of Covid Mr Hancock aped cricket shots in his office as he dismissed the idea he was under pressure.
Mr Hancock quit the Cabinet in June 2021 after it emerged he had been caught on CCTV kissing his aide Gina Coladangelo in his office.
He now sits as an independent MP after losing the party whip for appearing on ITV's I'm A Celebrity reality TV show.
A slew of witnesses have expressed concern about Mr Hancock's approach, with the inquiry hearing that the Cabinet Secretary at the time, Lord Sedwill, wanted him sacked.
The inquiry heard that in one WhatsApp exchange with the permanent secretary at Number 10 Simon Case – who is the current Cabinet Secretary – Lord Sedwill joked it was necessary to remove Mr Hancock to 'save lives and protect the NHS'.
Matt Hancock (pictured during the pandemic) is scheduled for a full day of evidence as he defends himself from claims he 'lied' to colleagues about what his department was doing to contain the burgeoning crisis
Mr Hancock was revealed to have been branded a 'c***' and a 'proven liar who nobody believes' in foul-mouthed WhatsApp messages sent by former No10 aide Dominic Cummings
WhatsApp messages shared with the inquiry also revealed that former top Number 10 adviser Dominic Cummings repeatedly pushed Boris Johnson to fire the former minister.
Mr Hancock was branded a 'c***' and a 'proven liar who nobody believes' in foul-mouthed missives from Mr Cummings.
Helen MacNamara, who served as deputy cabinet secretary, claimed in her evidence that Mr Hancock displayed 'nuclear levels' of overconfidence and a pattern of reassuring colleagues the pandemic was being dealt with in ways that were not true.
She described how, in one bizarre incident, Mr Hancock imitated being a cricket batsman at the height of the pandemic and told her: 'They bowl them at me, I knock them away.'
Mr Hancock has come under fire over the decision to discharge Covid patients back to care homes, which many believe led to large numbers of deaths.
Earlier this week, Andy Burnham told the inquiry the former health secretary knew Tier 3 restrictions would not work when he imposed them on Greater Manchester.
The mayor accused the Government of administering a 'punishment beating' for the city in late 2020, following an argument over financial support for residents who were unable to work due to the restrictions.
Quoting from written evidence from Mr Hancock, Mr Burnham said: 'He says in his evidence about Tier 3, 'I was in despair that we had announced a policy that we knew would not work.'
Mr Hancock has now forged a new career appearing in reality TV shows such as SAS: Who Dares Wins
Sir Christopher Wormald, a senior civil servant in the Department of Health, suggested it was a 'very small number of people' claiming that the minister was 'actually telling untruths'.
But he added that there were a lot who thought he was 'overoptimistic' and 'overpromised' on what could be delivered.
Mr Johnson and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak are both expected to appear before the inquiry before Christmas.
A spokesman for Mr Hancock said: 'Mr Hancock has supported the inquiry throughout and will respond to all questions when he gives his evidence.'
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