The painfully slow and costly Covid-19 public inquiry is cross-examining Reality TV star Matt Hancock today, who’s facing some robust questioning from Hugo Keith KC. Hancock is now claiming that he tried to convince Boris on the 13th March to lock down. Keith pointed out that Hancock’s own book states itself to be “meticulously pieced together” from all the evidence and “records all the relevant, important events“, yet includes “no reference” to the supposed lockdown conversation on the 13th March, alongside no other record of it taking place. Hancock’s defence: “I can remember it”…
Cummings has hit back, accusing Hancock of “flat out lying” because “he was still pushing Plan A herd immunity 13-15th“. Cummings says he kept Hancock out of a meeting on the 14th “bullsh*tting everybody about herd immunity” and arguing against a change of plan. Recollections will presumably continue to vary over Hancock’s two days of evidence…
Helen MacNamara reflects on asking Matt Hancock how he was coping in Spring 2020:
“He reassured me that he was ‘loving responsibility’ and to demonstrate this took up a batsman’s stance outside the Cabinet Room, and said, ‘they bowl them at me, I knock them away.”
Matt Hancock gets an intense beating on this week’s episode of SAS: Who Dares Wins, The Mirror reports. The former Health Secretary breaks two ribs in a bust-up with Love Island star Teddy Soares, who admits “it felt amazing. I couldn’t bring myself to go back to the UK without having kicked his ass. I didn’t feel guilty.” More than just the light ribbing Matt was expecting…
In another scene, Hancock is made to strip down to his pants, getting a dressing down by the interrogator who, referencing his infamous affair, barks:
“You’re not a good looking guy, are you? Pubes on your chest, moobs, so how did you do it, Matty, babe? What kind of a f***ing arrogant, c***-sucking answer is that, you weasel-faced c***?”
The show is set to air on Sunday at 9 p.m. Popcorn at the ready…
The first episode of TV show SAS: Who Dares Wins starring former Health Secretary Matt Hancock was released last night. It didn’t disappoint.
In a fierce cross-examination, Hancock was left sweating and squirming in his seat after interrogators pushed him on his handling of the pandemic. After commenting that Hancock “looked like [he was] about to get executed“, the interrogators didn’t hold back, saying: “you think you’re above the rules you established in this country…as far as I’m concerned you showed weak leadership“. Hancock came out with his usual reply, “I fell in love with somebody…” Popcorn at the ready…
Hancock’s back for another round of TV glory, with the trailer for Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins finally releasing today. According to chief instructor Billy Billingham, Matt wasn’t given any slack in the gruelling show, revealing:
“In the interrogation bit, he gets destroyed, absolutely destroyed. At the time I thought, ‘Oh, hang on, maybe this is a bit much?’ But no, he deserved it.”
The series kicks off on 26th September. Matt claimed it was “one of the toughest physical and mental things” he’s ever done. The £45,000 cheque should help ease the pain…
The painfully slow and costly Covid-19 public inquiry cross-examined Matt Hancock yesterday. Here was a chance to question the man who took many of the big decisions during the pandemic. Perhaps the inquiry would thrash out some of the burning questions about lockdowns and whether – in hindsight – the social and economic costs were all worth it. Guess what happened…
A good chunk of time was instead spent navel-gazing about whether Covid was made worse by… Brexit. Responding to the idea that the lack of pandemic preparedness was the fault of no-deal Brexit preparations, Hancock issued this punchy rejoinder:
“The work done for a no-deal Brexit on supply chains was the difference between running out of medicines in the peak of the pandemic and not running out. We came extremely close within hours of running out of medicines for intensive care during the pandemic… I think the only reason we didn’t run out is because of [that] work… which they did during 2019 in preparation for a no-deal Brexit, but became extremely useful in saving lives during the pandemic.”
He went on:
“At the point at which the pandemic struck, because of the no-deal Brexit work, we knew more about the pharmaceutical supply chain in the UK than at any time in history. We had relationships with the pharmaceutical suppliers and the data to know exactly who had what available and where and the extent of that information was the difference between running out and not running out of drugs in intensive care in the pandemic.”
Guido suspects that’s not what an audience of largely Remain-supporting lawyers and public health big wigs wanted to hear. Do Remainers think we beat Covid #DespiteBrexit?
