Matt Hancock, the former health secretary, faced the Covid inquiry this week, where he defended his actions during the pandemic. He insisted he was not a liar, despite repeated accusations from witnesses, and argued that he often called for tougher restrictions earlier. He claimed that if the first lockdown in March 2020 had been imposed three weeks earlier, over 90% of first-wave deaths could have been prevented.
Hancock's 173-page written statement, published after his testimony, reveals that Boris Johnson apologised to him for appointing Dominic Cummings as chief adviser, whom Hancock described as 'malign' and the creator of a 'toxic culture'. Hancock also criticised the devolved administrations' differing approaches to public health, calling it 'madness' that they set their own pandemic policies, and argued for a UK-wide approach in future.
His 'single biggest regret' was not pushing harder for asymptomatic transmission to be assumed early on, which he said contributed to a slower response. He also revealed he knew nothing of Rishi Sunak's Eat Out to Help Out scheme until hours before its announcement, but supported it publicly out of collective responsibility. Additionally, he lobbied for a ban on care home staff working in multiple homes.
