7 Explosive Claims From Matt Hancock's Leaked WhatsApp Messages During Covid

Matt Hancock is at the center of a furious row over the government's handling of the pandemic following an explosive leak of more than 100,000 WhatsApp messages.

from the former health secretary and officials have been made public after he shared them with journalist Isabel Oakeshott who helped him write his memoirs on the pandemic.

Today Mr Hancock furiously disputed the 'distorted account' of key decisions, with his spokesman saying it had been 'shot to fit an anti-lockdown scheme'.

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“It is outrageous that this distorted account of the pandemic is accompanied by partial leaks, hijacked to fit an anti-lockdown program, which would have cost hundreds of thousands of lives if followed,” said the spokesperson.

"What the posts show is that a lot of people are working hard to save lives."

The leak puts Covid decision-making back in the spotlight, with a series of explosive claims about care home politics and testing availability.

Further allegations are expected in the coming days over what is said to be an often flippant approach that authorities have taken over decisions such as school closures, the face mask policy and testing.

Here are the main claims from over 100,000 leaked posts.

The then Health Secretary Matt Hancock with Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (

Picture:

Getty Images) Care home testing advice 'ignored'

The most controversial exchanges relate to testing in nursing homes at the height of the first wave of Covid, when the virus ravaged vulnerable residents.

Leaked WhatsApp alleges Mr Hancock did not accept Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty's advice that there should be testing for 'all children entering nursing homes' in April 2020. Hancock fiercely denies ignoring clinical advice.

On April 14, messages between Mr Hancock and one of his aides, Allan Nixon, discussed this advice ahead of the release of new Covid guidelines, which made testing compulsory only for people entering homes care from hospitals.

Later in the day, Mr Hancock reportedly rescinded that pledge to test all people entering community care homes.

At 6:23 p.m., Mr Nixon sent a message saying, "Just to verify: Officials say your goal is to *remove* the commitment to test on admission to care homes* in the community *, but to *maintain* the commitment to testing on admission to nursing homes *from the hospital*. Is that good?"