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Former Tory health secretary rejects 'distorted account' based on 100,000 WhatsApp messages Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock has disputed claims he rejected expert advice on covid tests for people admitted to care homes in England at the start of the pandemic and says his text messages have been "manipulated". A report in The Telegraph based on a trove of more than 100,000 WhatsApps alleges he rejected advice to give all nursing home residents Covid tests, fiercely denied as a "distorted account" by his spokesman.
The messages were leaked by journalist Isabel Oakeshott after collaborating with Hancock on his controversial memoir Pandemic Diaries.
The messages show that England's chief medical officer, Professor Sir Chris Whitty, told the then Health Secretary in April 2020 that there should be tests for "everyone who goes into nursing homes".
But the messages suggest Hancock decided not to follow initial advice, telling an aide the decision only "muddies the waters," before introducing mandatory testing only for those coming from hospitals.
But a spokesman for the Tory MP said it was "completely false" and based on "manipulated" posts and had been "shot to fit into an anti-lockdown programme".
Mr Hancock's spokesman said "the Telegraph story is false" as he held meetings with officials about the delivery of tests at the care home and was told it was "not available".
They added: "The Telegraph intentionally left out reference to a meeting with WhatsApp's testing team. This is critical as Matt seconded Chris Whitty's advice, held a meeting about its deliverability, said it was undeliverable and insisted on evaluate everyone who came from hospitals. .
The Telegraph maintains that the texts were published in their entirety from the beginning. The sources said they were "baffled" by the suggestion that the posts had been doctored.
According to the newspaper's investigation, Hancock expressed concern that expanding testing in nursing homes could "hinder" the goal of 100,000 daily Covid tests that he wanted to achieve.
In an April 14, 2020 message, Mr Hancock said Sir Chris had completed a review and recommended "testing all who enter nursing homes and segregation pending outcome". Hancock described it as "obviously a nice positive step".
However, the investigation revealed that he then responded to aide Allan Nixon: "Tell me if I'm wrong, but I'd rather leave it out and commit to assessing and isolating ALL hospital care." I don't think community involvement adds anything and clouds the waters.
Matt Hancock pictured with his assistant Gina Coladangelo in 2020
But a key part of a WhatsApp message was omitted from a report in The Telegraph newspaper, Hancock's spokesman said.
A statement from his spokesperson said: “The Telegraph doctored the messages by excluding a key line from Allan Nixon's texts. Nixon says, "I wasn't testing mtg," which changes the context of the exchange described in the article.
“It shows that there was a meeting where advice on deliverability was given. By omitting this, the messages imply that Matt simply overruled the clinical advice. This is categorically false."
He said Mr Hancock had also called an operational meeting on the provision of tests for nursing homes on April 14 "where he was informed that it was not currently possible to test everyone entering care homes, which also I agree".
The spokesperson said: "Matt concluded that people leaving hospital for nursing homes should be prioritized for testing due to the increased risks of transmission, as it was not possible to force all people entering homes of the elderly to get tested.
He added: “It is outrageous that this distorted narrative of the pandemic is being pushed forward with partial leaks, twisted to fit an anti-lockdown agenda, which would have cost hundreds of thousands of lives if followed. What the posts show is that many people are working hard to save lives.
Matt Hancock says the posts show a 'distorted account'
Ms Oakeshott, who described the lockdowns as a "total disaster", said she was spreading the messages because it would be "many years" before the official Covid investigation was completed.
She claimed it could be a "colossal wash", adding: "That's why I've decided to release this amazing cache of private communications, because we can't wait any longer for responses."
Hancock is said to have "considered all options" in response to the Oakeshott leak. A source close to him said: "She broke a legal NDA (non-disclosure agreement). Her behavior is scandalous."
Former Conservative health minister Lord Bethell said Ms Oakeshott was "not a very good friend", after leaking the WhatsApp messages. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: “I think Isabel is a wonderful journalist. She's not a very good friend.
Sir Keir Starmer attacked Hancock for "presenting himself as a hero" in his memoirs. The Labor leader also called on Rishi Sunak to end the "insulting and macabre spectacle" by ensuring the Covid investigation is completed by the end of 2023.
Responding to an urgent question from Labour, Health Minister Helen Whately told MPs that "the importance of testing has never been in doubt" but added that "difficult decisions had to be made about prioritizing ".
Ms Whately added: "I should mention that the selective snippets of WhatsApp conversations give a limited and sometimes misleading view of the government machine at the time." That is why the Covid survey is so important.
The 'lockdown records' investigation also contains allegations that officials sent Jacob Rees-Mogg a Covid test for one of his children when there was a shortage.
Jacob Rees-Mogg receives a test in the mail at his home
In September 2020, during a long delay in testing, messages suggested that a Hancock adviser helped send a test to Rees-Mogg's home.
The aide texted Mr Hancock to say that the lab had "lost" the original test for one of the then Commons leader's sons, "so we have a courier going home to his family tonight." .
Commenting on the claim, LibDem deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: "The Covid inquiry must examine reports that Conservative ministers were able to secure priority access to tests at a time of national shortages."
Mr Hancock also said he told former chancellor George Osborne, then editor of the Evening Standard, "I WANT TO ACHIEVE MY TARGET!" while pushing for favorable front-page coverage.
As he struggled to meet his own goal of 100,000 coronavirus tests a day, the investigation shows Hancock texted his former boss, Osborne, to "ask him for a favor."
Hancock said he had thousands of test slots free, which is "obviously good news about the spread of the virus" but "difficult for my target" as it demanded front-page coverage.
Mr Osborne replied: "Yes of course, all you have to do tomorrow is give Standard a few exclusive words and I'll tell the team to splash it on you." The then health secretary added later: 'I WANT TO REACH MY GOAL!'
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Former Conservative Health Secretary Matt Hancock
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