Isabel Oakeshott says Matt Hancock sent her a 'menacing message'

The writer down the leak of messages Matt Hancock sent during the Covid-19 pandemic has said the erstwhile wellness caput sent her a "menacing message" aft their publication.

In an interrogation with TalkTV, Isabel Oakeshott said she did not springiness Mr Hancock beforehand announcement of the leak.

Ms Oakeshott said Mr Hancock was "extremely troubled successful presumption of however to respond to this".

A spokesperson for Mr Hancock declined to comment.

In a erstwhile statement, Mr Hancock's spokesperson said the Daily Telegraph had published "partial leaks" that presented a "distorted relationship of the pandemic" to "fit an anti-lockdown agenda".

The spokesperson said the messages had been made disposable to the authoritative nationalist enquiry into the government's effect to the pandemic.

"Instead of spinning and leaks we request the full, broad inquiry, to guarantee we are arsenic good prepared arsenic we tin beryllium for the adjacent pandemic, whenever it comes," the spokesperson said.

The Telegraph has been handed much than 100,000 WhatsApp messages linked to Mr Hancock's clip arsenic wellness caput astatine the tallness of the pandemic.

The substance messages were passed to the paper by Ms Oakeshott, who has been captious of lockdowns. She was fixed copies of the texts portion helping Mr Hancock constitute his book, Pandemic Diaries.

The BBC has not seen oregon independently verified the WhatsApp messages nor the discourse successful which they were sent.

The Telegraph has published a drawstring of stories based connected the messages sent by Mr Hancock, different erstwhile ministers and advisers successful the authorities of erstwhile Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

After a time of rancorous statement astir the government's effect to the pandemic, Ms Oakeshott appeared connected TalkTV to sermon her determination to leak the messages with presenter, Piers Morgan.

Ms Oakeshott was asked by Morgan if she had signed a non-disclosure agreement, which is simply a legally binding declaration utilized to forestall the disclosure of information.

Ms Oakeshott replied: "Yes."

When asked by Morgan if she had "deliberately breached that", Ms Oakeshott replied: "I have, successful the nationalist interest."

The writer said the nationalist involvement successful publishing the messages was "overwhelming", adding she was acrophobic the nationalist enquiry would beryllium "a whitewash".

When Morgan asked Ms Oakeshott if she had heard from Mr Hancock since publication, she said: "Yes I have.

"I received a somewhat menacing connection astatine 1:20 successful the morning. I americium not going to repetition what was successful the message.

"I deliberation you tin easy surmise whether Matt Hancock is my person astatine this point."

Ms Oakeshott - who is TalkTV's planetary exertion - besides stressed that the Telegraph had not selectively quoted Mr Hancock.

A spokesperson for Mr Hancock has antecedently said the messages were "doctored" and that Mr Hancock is considering ineligible action.

The work of the messages has sent shockwaves done the governmental constitution arsenic the nationalist enquiry into the pandemic picks up pace.

At Prime Minister's Questions, Rishi Sunak defended the nationalist enquiry arsenic the "right way" to scrutinise the handling of the pandemic and urged radical not to absorption connected "piecemeal bits of information".

Sir Keir Starmer called for Mr Sunak to guarantee the enquiry had each the enactment it needed "to study by the extremity of this year".

Mr Hancock has already fixed a partial relationship of his clip arsenic wellness secretary, with the assistance of Ms Oakeshott, successful his book, Pandemic Diaries.

The publication was wide viewed arsenic an effort by Mr Hancock to rehabilitate his estimation aft helium resigned arsenic wellness caput implicit breaching societal distancing guidance by kissing a colleague.

Last year, Mr Hancock said helium would not beryllium lasting arsenic an MP astatine the adjacent wide election, aft receiving disapproval for joining the world TV amusement I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!