1 December 2023, 12:58 GMTUpdated 17 mins agoSchool closures in January 2021 can have been have shyed away from if ministers had taken motion previous the former autumn, Matt Hancock has stated.The previous well being secretary informed the Covid inquiry that fending off a lockdown ended in harder measures afterward.WhatsApp messages from October 2020 confirmed he was once nervous then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak was once striking “drive” on Boris Johnson “to not do sufficient once more”. He additionally accused native leaders of striking “politics over public well being”. The West Suffolk MP advised that politicians in Better Manchester such because the mayor, Andy Burnham, were “actively unhelpful” when the federal government attempted to position native restrictions in position. This was once the inquiry’s 2nd day of listening to proof from Mr Hancock, who was once well being secretary for the majority of the pandemic. He was once pressured to renounce in June 2021 after being stuck breaching social distancing steerage via kissing his aide, Gina Coladangelo.Requested concerning the incident, he stated it would have broken public self assurance within the laws. Extra on Covid and the Covid InquiryQuestions firstly of Friday’s consultation desirous about choices created from September 2020, when Covid circumstances began to upward thrust after a lull in the summertime.WhatsApp messages from October 2020 display Mr Hancock asking civil provider head Simon Case for details about a gathering, from which he claims he was once “blocked”.”Rishi is within the room… so the PM can be beneath huge drive not to do sufficient as soon as once more,” he wrote.Mr Case answered: “Rishi has already resigned himself to the selection forward… his best query (and a good one) is ready nonessential retail – the place clearly we don’t have any proof of transmission.”He thinks higher to do one thing in secondary faculties (the place we all know transmission takes position) as a substitute of last all retail outlets (the place we understand it does not appear to).”Chatting with the inquiry recommend, Hugo Keith KC, Mr Hancock rejected tips that there was once a trade-off between well being and financial concerns, pronouncing: “If we do not lock down there can be extra deaths and we can must have a harder lockdown at some point.””So on mirrored image and with hindsight if we had taken motion quicker in September of 2020, then we would possibly as an example have have shyed away from the wish to shut faculties, which after all we needed to as a result of circumstances had been so prime via January.”Mr Hancock added that, via January, the location had turn into so critical that “each and every lever needed to be pulled”.There was fear concerning the harmful impact of faculties closures on youngsters – specifically the ones from deprived backgrounds. Previous this 12 months, MPs warned it would take 10 years for the space between deprived youngsters and others to slim to what it was once earlier than the pandemic. In mid-October 2020, in a bid to gradual the unfold of the virus, the federal government offered the tier machine, wherein other laws had been carried out in spaces relying at the native case numbers.In his observation to the inquiry, Mr Hancock stated he was once “in melancholy” when the coverage was once introduced as a result of he knew it “would no longer paintings”. He argued that was once for the reason that hardest restrictions weren’t robust sufficient, but in addition as a result of negotiations with native leaders had ended in lengthen and confusion.He had reward for Joe Anderson, who was once Liverpool mayor on the time, pronouncing they had been in a position to paintings in combination to position in position an “efficient” package deal of reinforce.Alternatively, he raised eyebrows when he stated Mr Anderson was once “unfortunately, now not with us”, regardless of the reality the previous mayor continues to be alive.Symbol caption, Andy Burnham gave proof to the inquiry previous within the weekComparing Mr Anderson to different native leaders, Mr Hancock, stated they had been “no longer so optimistic and in some circumstances actively unhelpful”.Mr Keith KC requested if that’s what former Leader Clinical Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance was once relating to when, in his diaries, he discussed “tough negotiations in Manchester”.Mr Hancock stated it was once and wired that his feedback associated with the native management, including “I’ve were given no pork with the advantageous town of Manchester.”Better Manchester was once positioned into tier 3 restrictions on 20 October, which means pubs and bars needed to shut and family blending was once limited. The verdict induced a row between Mr Burnham and the federal government over how a lot monetary reinforce will have to be equipped for the realm. Responding to the complaint, Mr Burnham stated: “That can be Mr Hancock’s opinion, however he is fallacious. “The mayor and 10 leaders in Better Manchester, together with a Conservative chief, spent many hours seeking to negotiate a take care of the federal government… it shouldn’t have been proper to position additional restrictions at the citizens of Better Manchester with out the monetary package deal to reinforce them.”‘Remedy classes’Mr Hancock additionally stated the way in which then-First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon communicated UK-wide choices was once “unhelpful and complicated” and “undermined” the reaction to Covid.The inquiry was once proven messages wherein Mr Hancock stated he sought after to make a selected announcement once conceivable, pronouncing: “It’s going to leak anyway – and the Scots will attempt to get their announcement out first.”He informed the inquiry: “Occasionally, [she] would depart a gathering and start verbal exchange of a call, as an example, quicker than agreed.”He stated he had a just right courting with well being ministers in Wales, Scotland and Northern Eire and in comparison their conferences to “treatment classes”. Ms Sturgeon seemed on the inquiry in June this 12 months however is anticipated to make additional appearances, with public hearings proceeding till 2026.Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak are anticipated to provide proof to the inquiry earlier than the top of the 12 months.
