Ex-health secretary Matt Hancock issues an extensive statement in response to the disclosure of thousands of WhatsApp messages sent and received during the height of the pandemic.
Following the release of lockdown WhatsApp messages, Matt Hancock condemned what he called a “massive betrayal and breach of trust.”
He shared the exchanges with journalist Isabel Oakeshott, who collaborated with the former health secretary on his book Pandemic Diaries, and they were published in the Daily Telegraph.
In a lengthy statement, Mr. Hancock denied sending a “threatening message” to Ms. Oakeshott following the publication of the first stories on Wednesday – a claim she made last night in defense of violating a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to disclose the messages.
The politician declared: “Isabel Oakeshott’s egregious betrayal and breach of trust has left me heartbroken and dejected. I am also sorry for the effect on the countless individuals – political colleagues, civil servants, and acquaintances. Who worked tirelessly alongside me to combat the pandemic and save lives.
Matt Hancock WhatsApp leak
“This massive breach serves no public interest. All of the book’s materials have already been made available to the inquiry. Which is the proper and only location for everything to be properly considered and the appropriate lessons to be learned. As we have seen, disseminating them in this manner provides a partial, slanted account to suit an anti-lockdown agenda.”
Mr. Hancock further clarified the nature of a late-night message he sent to the correspondent, stating: ” This is also incorrect. When I heard contradictory rumors about a publication late on Tuesday night. I called and texted Isabel to ask if she had ‘any indications’ about it, but received no response. When I saw what she had done, I sent her a message stating that it was a “huge error.” Nothing more.”
He stated that he would have no further comment on any “stories or fraudulent accusations Isabel will make.”
Oakeshott “offers no apologies at all.”
Ms. Oakeshott responded that she “absolutely no apologies for acting in the national interest” in releasing the texts.
She stated: “This is not about Matt Hancock or any other politician, as difficult as that may be for him to accept. It’s not about me either. The greatest betrayal is of the entire nation.”
Ms. Oakeshott, an early skeptic of lockdowns, stated that the entire nation was “let down” by the response to the pandemic, and “children, in particular, paid a dreadful price.”
As millions of patients on year-long waiting lists are discovering, the National Health Service may never recover. The economy is currently in shambles “She said.
“Now, it is crucial that the public inquiry, which was established nearly two years ago, swiftly establishes deadlines for its work and responds to the urgent question of whether lockdown, with all its consequences, was proportionate. Before the next general election, these issues must be resolved.”
The journalist added that she had received an “avalanche of support” for disclosing the messages. Which “demonstrates how desperately the nation wants answers.”
She continued, “I make no apologies for acting in the national interest. Covering up these facts would be the gravest betrayal of all.”
The first story from the batch of messages was published in the Telegraph and alleged that the former health secretary had rejected testing advice on care homes out of concern that it would prevent him from meeting his goals.
A spokesman for the MP vehemently denied the “distorted account,” saying the conversations were “spun to fit an anti-lockdown agenda.”
Sir Gavin Williamson is accused of stating that teachers were seeking an “excuse” not to work during the pandemic, according to new messages that were published last night.
Boris Johnson was concerned that he would be criticized for ordering a second national lockdown “too quickly,” according to other revelations from the collection of over 100,000 WhatsApp messages.
While an official COVID investigation is scheduled to investigate the government’s response. Ms. Oakeshott expressed concern that the investigation’s conclusion could be “decades away” – a claim that the investigation’s chair refutes.
During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Rishi Sunak said the investigation was independent and refused to set a deadline.
Ministers have refused to comment on Mr. Hancock and Ms. Oakeshott’s dispute. Stating that they will wait for the investigation’s results.
On Thursday, however, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly defended the government’s response to the pandemic, telling. “I am very proud of the work my government did in conjunction with Oxford and AstraZeneca to produce the vaccine.
“As a direct result of the decisions my administration made at the time, the United Kingdom was one of the first countries in the world to unlock because of that very effective deployment of the vaccine.”
