Former health secretary Matt Hancock today denied painting a “rosy picture” of the NHS as it faced collapse during the Covid crisis.
The former Conservative MP, who was in charge of the health service between 2018 and 2021, insisted he was not “trying to say everything was perfect” while hospitals were collapsing.
Appearing again before the Covid inquiry, Hancock also renewed his feuds with former Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and former No 10 top aide Dominic Cummings.
He accused Sturgeon of causing “all kinds of difficulties” during the pandemic, while also claiming part of her job was to “protect” the NHS from “people being difficult” in Downing Street.
Cummings has previously said Hancock should have been fired for “at least 15 or 20 things, including lying to everyone on multiple occasions.”
Other former Downing Street staff have accused the former Health Secretary of displaying “nuclear levels of confidence” in trying to manage the pandemic.
A woman booed when Hancock arrived at the investigation building this morning, before he gave evidence in person for the third time.
Former health secretary Matt Hancock denied painting a “rosy picture” of the NHS as it faced collapse during the Covid crisis.
Hancock accused former Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon of causing “all kinds of difficulties” during the pandemic.
Appearing before the Covid inquiry, Hancock also renewed his feud with former No 10 senior assistant Dominic Cummings.
Hancock told the inquiry that in the early stages of the Covid crisis he was “petrified” that lockdowns were not enough to prevent the NHS “becoming completely overwhelmed”, as had happened in Italy.
He also refuted claims that he wanted to decide “who should live and who should die” if hospitals were overwhelmed by Covid patients during the pandemic.
In his witness statement at the inquiry last year, the former head of NHS England, Lord Stevens, said: “The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care took the position that in this situation he – rather than, say , the medical profession or the public – should ultimately decide who should live and who should die.’
Hancock said the concept of a tool to prioritize intensive care patients was first proposed in February 2020, but had actually been opposed.
“Simon Stevens said I had requested it and that I wanted to make the decisions myself, and that was inaccurate,” he said.
‘We had a discussion about it and then I came to the conclusion that we shouldn’t have that tool.
‘I felt strongly that if we tried to draft a national tool, its local interpretation might end up being too legalistic or too strict.
“What I wanted is for doctors to have the discretion to make the decisions they think are appropriate and the best way to save lives given the circumstances.”
Mr Hancock rejected the suggestion he was painting a “rosy picture” of the situation in the NHS during the pandemic.
Baroness Heather Hallett, chair of the inquiry, asked: ‘Did you make it clear to your Cabinet colleagues and the Prime Minister at the time that many doctors and nurses were unable to provide the level of care their patients needed?
—Did you make it clear to all your colleagues? Did you not present the rosy picture that some have suggested?
Mr Hancock responded: ‘In previous modules I have been accused of painting a rosy picture.
‘For each of those specific accusations, there are inaccuracies in the other accounts that we did not analyze in detail.
“But all you need to know, President, is that I’m not one to spend money.”
The investigation was shown a document from May 2020, which called for a “reset” of the relationship between the English and Scottish administrations.
Asked if that request was related to the scope of the inquiry’s third module, which explores the impact on the four nations’ health systems, Mr Hancock replied: “No, it was about how Nicola Sturgeon was causing all sorts of difficulties”.
When asked if there was “good collaboration overall”, the former Health Secretary responded: “At the health level there was excellent collaboration between the CMOs (chief medical officers), who had their own convocation, and then between the four health ministers. Health”.
“And you can see from the minutes and the WhatsApp group that we had a really collaborative approach.”
Mr Hancock also told the inquiry he “ruffled some feathers” while protecting the NHS from political “interference” during the pandemic.
He said part of his role was to “protect” the NHS from “people who make it difficult in number 10”.
“Within the functioning of the NHS, we were protected in a way because of the independence of the NHS,” he said.
“And therefore, because people are difficult for the number 10, part of my job was to protect them.”
“And I know that in doing so I got a little upset, but my job, ironically, was also to protect the NHS from some of that.”
The inquiry also heard from Mr Hancock how No 10’s interference caused “incredible difficulties” over testing during the pandemic.
He was asked about his previous witness statements, which suggested “inappropriate political interference by Number 10”, and whether that interference applied to the scope of these hearings.
Mr Hancock said: ‘Well, of course some of that is.
‘For example, the biggest interference that caused difficulties was during testing, where some of the political appointees in Number 10 caused incredible difficulties.
“But that has nothing to do with this module.”
During the pandemic, Cummings took the lead in plans to test millions of people a day for Covid under a plan known as “Operation Moonshot.”
The government planned a mass testing campaign before knowing whether the Covid vaccines would work.
Hancock previously described Cummings as an “evil actor” and blamed him for driving a “toxic culture” in the government.
Mandy Phillips, who booed Mr Hancock as he entered the research building, said she believes he “should never have been health secretary”.
Phillips, a member of the group Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, said “we didn’t learn enough from the first wave” of Covid infections.
“So I want to come and basically I want to hold him accountable,” he added.
“And I think it’s important that we sit there, and in my case, I’ll just sit in the back and basically stare at him.”
Hancock played a key role in the government’s initial response as the pandemic unfolded.
But his frontline political career ended in disgrace after video emerged of him kissing his assistant Gina Coladangelo in his office at a time of social distancing restrictions.
Following his resignation from the cabinet in June 2021, Hancock controversially appeared on the ITV reality show I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!.
He resigned as an MP before this year’s general election.