Tell us why Hancock had Covid tests mailed to Rees-Mogg's home during shortage, demand work

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Labour has accused the government of hiding behind the official Covid inquiry after dodging questions about suggestions a minister received preferential treatment for one of her children during the pandemic.

Downing Street has acknowledged there is a "significant public interest" in claiming officials sent a Covid test by courier to the home of Jacob Rees-Mogg.

But the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "On all these issues there is clearly a significant public interest, which is why we have set up an independent public inquiry which will seek to establish the facts.

“It is not for me to look at the individual claims presented.”

No 10 also defended the use of Whatsapp for government business

Labour said ‘hiding behind the inquiry at this stage seems bizarre’, adding that ‘the government is more than capable of answering these questions now.’ Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer also called for the official investigation to report back by the end of the year.

In September 2020, during a major delay in testing, messages suggested that an adviser from Mr. Hancock helped get a test sent to Mr. Rees-Mogg's address.

The assistant messaged Mr. Hancock to say that e lab had 'lost' the original test for one of the then Leader of the Commons' children, 'so we have a courier going to their family tonight'.

That same month there was a backlog of 185,000 Covid tests waiting to be processed across the UK. The rules at the time also meant people had to self-isolate until they tested negative.

Just days before the test was mailed to Mr Rees-Mogg, Sarah Marsh, director of testing at NHS Test and Trace, had offered her “sincere apologies to anyone who cannot get Covid testing at the moment".

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said the claims were "further proof that this is a rule for Tory ministers and another for everyone else".

Mr Hancock has denied claims he rejected official advice when he was health secretary to get everyone Covid tested residents entering care homes in English.

The allegations stem from a leak of over 100,000 WhatsApp messages obtained by The Daily Telegraph.

< p>Mr Hancock's spokesman said a report claiming he had rejected clinical advice on care home testing was 'completely wrong' roné" because he had been told that it was "not currently possible" to carry out the tests.