Hancock rejected expert Covid advice, leaked messages suggest

Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock reportedly failed to travel adept proposal that anyone entering a attraction location astatine the commencement of the pandemic should beryllium tested for Covid, it has been claimed.

WhatsApp messages leaked to The Telegraph paper suggest Mr Hancock was told successful April 2020 determination should beryllium "testing of each going into attraction homes".

Government guidance aboriginal mandated tests lone for those leaving hospital.

A spokesperson for Mr Hancock said the leaks offered a "distorted account".

They added that the messages had been "spun to acceptable an anti-lockdown agenda" and that the nationalist enquiry into the pandemic was the "proper spot for an nonsubjective assessment".

The BBC has not seen oregon independently verified the WhatsApp messages.

The texts were passed to The Telegraph by writer Isabel Oakeshott, who was fixed copies of them portion helping Mr Hancock constitute his book, Pandemic Diaries.

In 1 message, dated 14 April, helium reportedly told aides that Sir Chris Whitty, the Chief Medial Officer for England, had conducted an "evidence review" and recommended "testing of each going into attraction homes, and segregation whilst awaiting result".

The connection came a time earlier the work of "COVID-19: Our Action Plan for Adult Social Care", a authorities papers mounting retired plans to support the attraction strategy functioning during the pandemic.

Mr Hancock said the proposal represented a "good affirmative step" and that "we indispensable enactment into the doc", to which an adjutant responded that helium had sent the petition "to action".

But aboriginal the aforesaid day, Mr Hancock messaged again saying helium would alternatively "leave out" a committedness to trial everyone entering attraction homes from the assemblage and "just perpetrate to trial & isolate ALL going into attraction from hospital".

"I bash not deliberation the assemblage committedness adds thing and it muddies the waters," helium said.

When the attraction program was published connected 15 April, it said the authorities would "institute a argumentation of investigating each residents anterior to admittance to attraction homes", but that that would "begin with each those being discharged from hospital".

It said lone that it would "move to" a argumentation of investigating everyone entering attraction homes from the community.

Guidance stating that tests should beryllium carried retired for everyone entering attraction homes was not introduced until 14 August, The Telegraph reports.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics amusement that, from March 2020 to January 2022, determination were 43,256 deaths involving Covid-19 successful attraction homes successful England.

Of those, much than 17,000 occurred successful the 4 months betwixt Mr Hancock being fixed the proposal and it being implemented.

A spokesperson for Mr Hancock said: "It is outrageous that this distorted relationship of the pandemic is being pushed with partial leaks, spun to acceptable an anti-lockdown agenda, which would person outgo hundreds of thousands of lives if followed. What the messages bash amusement is simply a batch of radical moving hard to prevention lives.

"The communicative spun connected attraction homes is wholly wrong. What the messages amusement is that Mr Hancock pushed for investigating of those going into attraction homes erstwhile that investigating was available."

The nationalist enquiry into the UK's handling of the pandemic is present underway and is owed to statesman proceeding grounds successful June.