Matt Hancock and Isabel Oakeshott: A tale of scoops, betrayal and WhatsApp

He says it was a "breach of trust". She insists it was successful the nationalist interest. What does the enactment betwixt Matt Hancock and the newsman who leaked his WhatsApp messages uncover astir however journalism works?

And, successful the satellite of journalism and beyond, scoops are the stories you remember.

They tin bring down Presidents (think Watergate), unit MPs from bureau (think the MPs' expenses scandal) and they tin adjacent radiance a spotlight connected the worst excesses of the media (think telephone hacking).

The Telegraph's Lockdown Files are an penetration into decision-making astatine the bosom of authorities during the astir investigating and turbulent clip successful caller British history.

But down them is simply a fascinating communicative of betrayal and journalistic ethics.

On 1 broadside is Isabel Oakeshott.

A governmental writer with a proven way grounds of breaking stories, she is besides an anti-lockdown campaigner and the spouse of the antheral who leads Reform UK - the reincarnation of the Brexit Party, which aims to instrumentality seats from the Conservatives astatine the adjacent election.

She's nary alien to controversy.

Her erstwhile journalism led to the jailing of some Chris Huhne, a erstwhile furniture curate who broke speeding laws, and the root of the story, his ex-wife Vicky Pryce, who took his points.

Ms Oakeshott besides co-authored a publication successful 2015 astir then-Prime Minister David Cameron. Famously, Call Me Dave included an unsubstantiated allegation astir a enactment enactment connected a dormant pig's head.

On the different broadside is Matt Hancock. Health caput passim the pandemic, Mr Hancock had to resign aft breaking his Government's ain lockdown rules, and, portion inactive an MP, has been trying to rebrand himself connected world TV, astir notably with a successfully protracted quality connected I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.

Giving Ms Oakeshott the means, perchance astatine least, to harm that marque can't person been portion of his plan. But that is precisely what helium has unwittingly done.

Her scoop for the Telegraph is journalistically unusual. Often these stories are delivered by leaks from brave and trusted sources, who sometimes enactment their jobs connected the enactment successful the sanction of the nationalist involvement oregon to exposure wrongdoing.

We don't know, for example, who leaked the details to ITV of the revelations astir lockdown parties successful Downing Street during the pandemic. Perhaps we ne'er will.

The Telegraph's Covid splash is precise antithetic due to the fact that Matt Hancock is the source. His ghostwriter truly has travel backmost to haunt him.

When the brace decided to collaborate connected his Pandemic Diaries, Mr Hancock's diary-style relationship of his acquisition of authorities during Covid, Ms Oakeshott signed a confidentiality agreement.

He handed implicit much than 100,000 WhatsApp messages betwixt himself, different ministers, aides and nationalist wellness advisors.

These are the messages she has present fixed to the Telegraph. We are promised possibly a week of revelations. Questions are being asked astir Matt Hancock's judgement successful trusting Isabel Oakeshott astatine all.

In a consciousness this communicative is astir words - 2.3m of them, delivered successful the WhatsApps, and the ensuing warfare of words betwixt Ms Oakeshott and Mr Hancock.

Each has a precise antithetic mentation of events.

She says, backed by the Telegraph, that her determination to people the messages is successful the nationalist interest. "No writer worthy their salt," she told Radio 4's Today programme, "would beryllium connected a cache of accusation connected specified a historical substance and screen that up."

Mr Hancock issued a connection saying determination is "absolutely nary nationalist involvement lawsuit for this immense breach" due to the fact that helium has already fixed them to the UK's autarkic nationalist enquiry into the pandemic.

He says releasing the messages was a "massive betrayal and breach of trust".

Ms Oakeshott enactment retired a connection contiguous saying she makes "no apology for acting successful the nationalist interest: the worst betrayal of each would beryllium to screen up these truths".

She added "the top betrayal" was to the full state and to children successful particular, who "paid a unspeakable price" arsenic a effect of "the effect to the pandemic and repeated unnecessary lockdowns".

Mr Hancock has termed the Telegraph stories a "partial, biased relationship to suit an anti-lockdown agenda".

A spokesperson added: "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."

Ms Oakeshott told Piers Morgan connected Talk TV, wherever she is besides planetary editor, that Mr Hancock reneged connected an undertaking to bash an interrogation with the transmission aft the publication was published. "It's not of people the crushed I did this," she added. Others whitethorn wonderment whether they transverse her astatine their peril.

In different illustration of 2 opposing narratives, Ms Oakeshott says she was not paid to constitute the book.

An state of Mr Hancock told me: "It's incredibly disingenuous and misleading to accidental she hasn't been paid for the book. She has and volition besides person royalties."

Those royalties mightiness not beryllium precise ample if reports that the publication sold conscionable 3,304 copies successful its archetypal week and 600 successful the 2nd are correct. Publisher Biteback declined to remark erstwhile approached by the BBC.

So what does the saga archer america astir however the media operates?

Journalism often works connected trust. Clearly that's breached down successful this case, though radical are asking why, adjacent with a confidentiality agreement, Mr Hancock felt helium could spot Ms Oakeshott.

The Telegraph, presented with the cache of messages, decided, arsenic its Associate Editor Camilla Tominey enactment it, that "the nationalist has a close to cognize arsenic overmuch arsenic possible". The decisions made during the pandemic were a "matter of beingness oregon death".

They volition person taken proposal that the confidentiality statement tin beryllium breached successful the nationalist involvement - and that Mr Hancock is improbable to sue. He is understood to beryllium examining each options unfastened to him.

If it is close that helium wasn't notified earlier publication, that would beryllium an absorbing penetration into the workings of journalism. It is customary to connection radical a close of reply, often with immoderate clip built successful up of publication.

However, that model tin beryllium squeezed connected a breaking story, oregon if it is decided that offering a longer clip framework mightiness springiness the taxable clip to artifact publication.

In the extremity though, the inheritance to the Lockdown Files whitethorn archer america much astir however Isabel Oakeshott operates than astir the media much widely.

She has go the story, astatine slightest successful part, touring the TV and vigor studios and sparking statement astir however it came about.

Sir Craig Oliver, who served arsenic manager of authorities and communications for David Cameron, told maine that "the information for Isabel Oakeshott is that she ends up caught up successful a enactment astir journalistic morals which overshadows what she is trying to achieve".

He added: "She wanted to bring guardant the lessons of the nationalist inquiry, to item decisions made astir lockdown and the experiences of children successful school, for example. She astir apt didn't mean the statement besides to besides absorption connected the morals of journalism."

For some, she's delivered an important scoop and the mode she got the communicative is wholly justified. Others consciousness differently.

One happening is certain: the roll-out of stories goes on.