Matt Hancock feared being labelled ‘racist’ over raising concerns that Covid was spreading faster among ‘non-compliant’ communities, new leaked messages reveal.
WhatsApp exchanges from August 2020 show Nadine Dorries, a key figure at the Department of Health at the time, warn her boss Mr Hancock not to lockdown ‘our voters’ because of the ‘behaviour of non compliant communities’.
She later suggested there could be ‘race riots’ if he chose to lockdown the ‘white working-class’ area of Colne in Lancashire while the virus was quickly spreading in the neighbouring town of Nelson.
The messages, the latest to be published by The Daily Telegraph, also reveal another Conservative MP told then prime minister, Boris Johnson, that local lockdown restrictions were fuelling ‘race relation issues’ in his constituency.
Texts unearthed today reveal Mr Hancock, then health secretary told Ms Dorries on August 20, 2020: ‘I don’t want to be called a racist but we’ve got to name it’.
New leaked WhatsApp messages published today by The Daily Telegraph reveal Matt Hancock, then health secretary told Ms Dorries on August 20, 2020: ‘I don’t want to be called a racist but we’ve got to name it’
WhatsApp exchanges from August 2020 show Nadine Dorries, a key figure at the Department of Health at the time, warn her boss Matt Hancock not to lockdown ‘our voters’ because of the ‘behaviour of non compliant communities’
Ms Dorries, who at the time served as minister for patient safety, suicide prevention and mental health, responded: ‘We can’t put whole towns and villages with extremely low R rates in lockdown (our voters) and deprive those people of work and family bcse of the behaviour of non compliant communities.’
MailOnline has not seen or independently verified the WhatsApp messages, leaked to The Daily Telegraph by Isabel Oakeshott, the journalist who helped ex-Health Secretary Matt Hancock write his book Pandemic Diaries.
The R rate — which epidemiologists use measure a disease’s ability to spread – is, in essence, the number of people that one infected person will pass on a virus to, on average.
At the time the R rate across England was believed to be between 0.9 and 1.0 according to data from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage).
On August 19, test and trace data showed a 27 per cent jump in the number of positive Covid cases, despite the number of people tested reducing slightly.
Local lockdowns and measures were in place across a number of towns to target areas with a higher R rate, after the national lockdown ended on July 4.
On Aug 20, ministers were considering fresh interventions in Oldham, Pendle and Blackburn in Lancashire as the epidemiological data showed that cases were getting out of control in certain areas.
Later that day, in a message to Ms Dorries, Mr Hancock said he had spoken to Philip Davies, the Conservative MP for Shipley, West Yorkshire regarding local lockdowns.
‘I told him that given he’s got a veto, it’s actually very good for him,’ Mr Hancock told Ms Dorries.
‘I’m speaking to Andrew Stephenson tonight regarding Pendle’, she responded.
She added: ‘Remember the Burnley race riots? I was working as Oliver Letwin’s Spad [special advisor] at the time. Andrew very concerned at his LA [local authority] CEOs stance that any restrictions should be one size fits all, across the constituency.
‘The town ward of Colne, 18 pubs, white working class would be like a tinder box if it’s pubs closed bcse of non compliance and infection rates in Nelson, 2 pubs, Pakistani community next door.’
Philip Davies, MP for Shipley, had also reached out to then Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, earlier in August to prevent lockdown restrictions from including Pendle, leaked WhatsApp messages show
On August 21, the Government then unveiled new Covid guidance to come into force on August 22, tightening restrictions on households meeting and attendances at weddings and funerals, in some parts of east Lancashire.
Those in Oldham, Pendle and Blackburn were told not to socialise with anyone outside their household and not to use public transport unless it was essential.
Colne was not included in these new measures.
Announcing the restrictions, Mr Hancock said at the time: ‘Working with local leaders we agreed further action in Oldham, Pendle and Blackburn. It is vital that everyone in these areas follow the advice of their councils, and abide by their local rules carefully.’
The action was ‘as targeted as possible, with the maximum possible local consensus’, he added.
It came as Mr Davies had reached out to then Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, earlier in August to prevent lockdown restrictions from including Pendle, leaked WhatsApp messages show.
In a message shared with Mr Hancock by Mr Johnson, the MP for Shipley wrote: ‘I am desperate to speak to you about the decision of the govt to include my constituency in the local lockdown on Bradford – even though there are barely any cases in my constituency.
‘This is causing a massive issue and is fuelling huge race relations issues. This needs to be resolved ASAP.
‘I would be very grateful if you could find the time to discuss with me. This is toxic locally.’
Pendle had been placed under restrictions alongside swathes of the north of England including Bradford and Greater Manchester on July 30, the evening before Eid.
But further texts leaked to The Daily Telegraph also show Dido Harding, who led the Government’s test and trace programme, warn Mr Hancock of a rise in infections among the ‘same communities’ who would be celebrating Eid, ten days earlier.
She wrote: ‘Indeed. I am really worried about Eid. The geographic spread is all in the same communities.’
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