UK govt wanted to scare ‘the pants off’ public with Covid

The non-disclosure agreement was breached by journalist Isabel Oakeshott when she sent The Telegraph the whole collection of more than 100,000 WhatsApp communications that Matt Hancock had given her in confidence. In an interview with the BBC’s Today programme, Oakeshott asserted that breaking the journalism code was in the public’s best interest.

Hancock stated that there was no public interest in the messages being published as he had already given them to the public inquiry into Britain’s handling of COVID-19, which is due to start its hearings later in 2023.

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Throughout the pandemic, the UK government has been accused of scaremongering, but it has denied such allegations. Hancock’s department stated that the accusations were “misleading”.

The WhatsApp conversation between Hancock and his media adviser, Damon Poole, took place on 13 December 2020, two days after the emergence of the new variant, known as alpha or the Kent variant. Poole suggested that the variant could be helpful in preparing the ground for a future lockdown and tougher restrictions in the run-up to Christmas. Hancock responded: “We frighten the pants off everyone with the new strain.” Poole agreed that this would lead to proper behaviour change.

The discussion came amidst concerns that Brexit talks would dominate headlines and reduce the impact of the new strain. Hancock probed Poole for media advice, asking: “When do we deploy the new variant?” The surge in cases later led to the effective cancellation of Christmas on 19 December 2020.

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The leak of Matt Hancock’s WhatsApp messages to journalist Isabel Oakeshott has caused a stir. Hancock shared the messages with Oakeshott as they worked on their book “Pandemic Diaries.” Oakeshott then passed the messages to the Daily Telegraph, which published them on its front pages.

Critics have accused Oakeshott of having a political agenda. Hancock accused Oakeshott of a “massive betrayal and breach of trust,” but Oakeshott argued that she acted in the public interest. She said that this was about the millions of people who were adversely affected by the repeated lockdowns on the flimsiest of evidence for political reasons.