According to leaked WhatsApp messages obtained by The Daily Telegraph, former health secretary Matt Hancock apparently attempted to circumvent the education secretary in December 2020.
The journalist Isabel Oakeshott was aided in the writing of Mr. Hancock’s book, Pandemic Diaries, by passing on a cache of over one hundred thousand text messages sent between ministers and officials during the pandemic. Ms. Oakeshott stated that she breached a non-disclosure agreement in order to release the texts because they were in the public’s best interest.
One exchange appears to depict Mr. Hancock messaging an aide during a video meeting with the then-prime minister, Boris Johnson, to discuss the escalation of Covid cases. At that time, it was planned for all primary schools to resume normal operations in January. Mr. Hancock asserted that the education secretary, Sir Gavin Williamson, was fighting “tooth and nail” and “going absolutely gangbusters” to keep schools open. After failing to convince the Prime Minister that schools should remain closed, he penned, “The next U-turn is born.”
On the evening of 4 January 2021, it was announced that all schools would be closed the following day. Sir Gavin wrote in The Telegraph that he believed the closure “wasn’t done for the right reasons” and that he considered resigning in protest.
Further leaked messages appear to indicate that Mr. Hancock and Sir Gavin discussed a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for schools in May 2020. Sir Gavin wanted to ensure that PPE was provided so that schools “cannot use [the shortfall] as an excuse not to open.” In October 2020, Mr. Hancock congratulated him on a “brilliant announcement” regarding the postponement of A-level exams by several weeks, noting that certain teaching unions “hate work.”
In response to the publication of the texts, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) stated that the “sneering exchange” demonstrated “an appalling lack of respect for teachers,” while Sir Gavin tweeted that he had “the utmost respect” for teachers and that the messages were “about some Unions and not teachers.”
The leaks also appear to indicate that an August 2020 policy change requiring secondary students in England to wear face masks was implemented primarily to avoid a dispute with the Scottish government, while a March 2021 policy change concerning test results was only reversed after three weeks despite Mr. Hancock’s earlier request for advisers to investigate.
A spokesperson for Mr. Hancock stated that the leaks provide “partial accounts, obviously spun with an agenda,” adding that the Inquiry is the proper venue for a comprehensive evaluation.
Former health secretary Matt Hancock has been accused of attempting to circumvent the education secretary regarding December 2020 school closures. The Daily Telegraph obtained leaked WhatsApp messages indicating that Mr. Hancock disagreed with Sir Gavin Williamson’s policy of keeping schools open and described him as fighting “tooth and nail” for it. On January 4, 2021, elementary schools will return, only to be closed that evening.
The leaks also appear to indicate that a policy change in August 2020 was implemented primarily to avoid a conflict with the Scottish government, while a policy change in March 2021 was only reversed after three weeks despite Mr. Hancock’s earlier request for advisers to examine it.
The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) stated that the “sneering exchange” between Mr. Hancock and Sir Gavin demonstrated “an appalling lack of respect for teachers,” while Sir Gavin tweeted that he had “the greatest respect” for them.
The leaks, according to a representative for Mr. Hancock, provide “partial accounts, obviously skewed with an agenda.” They added that “these are partial accounts” that demonstrate Mr. Hancock’s unwavering dedication to saving lives, and that the Inquiry is the proper venue for a comprehensive evaluation.
