Matt Hancock | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Secretary of State for Health and Social Care | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 9 July 2018 – 26 June 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Theresa May Boris Johnson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Jeremy Hunt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Sajid Javid | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 8 January 2018 – 9 July 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Theresa May | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Karen Bradley | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Jeremy Wright | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minister for the Cabinet Office Paymaster General | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 11 May 2015 – 14 July 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | David Cameron | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Francis Maude | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Ben Gummer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of Parliament forWest Suffolk | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 6 May 2010 – 30 May 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Richard Spring | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Nick Timothy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Matthew John David Hancock (1978-10-02)2 October 1978 (age 46) Chester,Cheshire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Conservative | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic partner | Gina Coladangelo (2021–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | matt-hancock | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Matthew John David Hancock (born 2 October 1978)[2] is a British politician who served asMinister for the Cabinet Office andPaymaster General from 2015 to 2016,Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport from January to July 2018, andSecretary of State for Health and Social Care from 2018 to 2021. He wasMember of Parliament (MP) forWest Suffolk from 2010 to 2024. He is a member of theConservative Party.
Hancock was an economist at theBank of England before serving as a senior economic adviser and later aschief of staff toGeorge Osborne. Hancock was first elected as an MP for West Suffolk at the2010 election.
In Parliament, Hancock served as a junior minister at theDepartment for Business, Innovation and Skills from 2012 to 2015 and was theUnited Kingdom Anti-Corruption Champion from 2014 to 2015. He attendedDavid Cameron's cabinet asMinister for the Cabinet Office andPaymaster General from 2015 to 2016. AfterTheresa May became prime minister following Cameron's resignation, Hancock was moved to the post ofMinister of State for Digital and Culture. He was promoted to May's cabinet asSecretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. In July 2018, afterJeremy Hunt becameForeign Secretary, Hancock replaced him asSecretary of State for Health and Social Care. After May's resignation, Hancock stood in theConservative Party leadership election to replace her, but withdrew shortly after the first ballot and endorsedBoris Johnson. After Johnson became prime minister, Hancock kept his position as health secretary.
Hancock's time as health secretary was marked by theCOVID-19 pandemic, and he played a prominent role inthe government's response to it. He oversaw efforts toprocure supplies needed, but the lack of a competitive tendering process for some contracts proved controversial. He expandedCOVID-19 testing and tracing and also oversaw the early stage of theUK's COVID-19 vaccination programme. In June 2021, it was shown that he had breachedCOVID-19 social distancing restrictions by kissing and embracing Gina Coladangelo in his office. She was a director at theDepartment of Health and Social Care (DHSC), and Hancock was having anextramarital affair with her. Following this, Hancock resigned as health secretary and returned to thebackbenches. He was succeeded bySajid Javid.
In November 2022, Hancock had theparty whip suspended after announcing he would appear as a contestant in thetwenty-second series of the survival reality television showI'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, in which he finished in third place. He did not seek re-election as an MP at the2024 general election.
Matthew Hancock was born on 2 October 1978 inChester,Cheshire, to Michael Hancock and Shirley Hills,[2] who had a software business.[3][4] He has an older sister and a brother.[5]
Hancock attended Farndon County Primary School, inFarndon, Cheshire, and then wasprivately educated at theKing's School, Chester.[2] He tookA-levels in Maths, Physics, Computing, and Economics.[3] He later studied computing at the further education college,West Cheshire College.[6][7] Hancock then studied at theUniversity of Oxford where he was an undergraduate atExeter College, and graduated with afirst class degree inPhilosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE). He later earned aMaster of Philosophy degree in Economics from theUniversity of Cambridge, where he was a postgraduate student atChrist's College.[7][8] He was diagnosed with dyslexia at university.[9] Hancock became a member of theConservative Party in 1999.[10]
After university, Hancock briefly worked for his family'scomputer software company, Border Business Systems,[4] and for a backbench Conservative MP,[3] before moving to London to work as an economist at theBank of England, specialising in thehousing market. In 2005, he was an economic adviser to theShadow Chancellor of the Exchequer,George Osborne, later becoming Osborne's chief of staff.[8][11]
Hancock was selected as the Conservative candidate forWest Suffolk in January 2010. He narrowly won the contest, defeatingNatalie Elphicke (a solicitor who later became MP forDover), by 88 votes to 81 in the final ballot.[12] At the2010 general election, Hancock was elected as MP for West Suffolk with 50.6% of the vote and a majority of 13,050.[13][14]
In June 2010, Hancock was elected to thePublic Accounts Committee.[15] He served on this committee until November 2012. Hancock also served on theStandards and Privileges Committee from October 2010 to December 2012.[1]
In 2011, Hancock became a member of theFree Enterprise Group, a group ofThatcherite Conservatives co-founded byLiz Truss. In January 2013, he was accused of dishonesty byDaybreak presenter,Matt Barbet, after claiming he had been excluded from a discussion about apprentices after turning up "just 30 seconds late".[16] Hancock acknowledged on social media that he was running late, but said he turned up ahead of time for the interview and was unfairly blocked from going on set by producers.[17] Barbet said Hancock knew he was "much more than a minute late" and he should have arrived half an hour beforehand to prepare for the interview.[16]
In October 2013, Hancock joined theDepartment for Business, Innovation and Skills as theMinister of State for Skills and Enterprise.[18]
In June 2014, Hancock, in his role as a minister, encouraged employers to become involved in offering more apprenticeships, allowing young people to learn and earn simultaneously.[19]
.jpg)
On 15 July 2014, Hancock was appointed to the position of Minister of State for Business and Enterprise. On 27 July, he announced protection fromfracking forNational Parks,[20] seen as a method of reducing anger in Conservative constituencies ahead of the election.[21] Interviewed on theBBC Radio 4Today programme, he rejected the suggestion that fracking was highly unpopular but he was unable to name any village that backed it.[21][22]
Hancock served as Minister of State for Energy from 2014 to 2015.[23] In this role he was criticised for hiring a private jet with senior diplomatic officials to fly back from a climate conference inAberdeen, where he signed a deal with Mexican PresidentEnrique Peña Nieto to use British expertise in Mexico. A Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) spokesman said the chartered flight was organised to fit around diary commitments, and the conference was not about climate change, but it was a visit to a university and discussion about investment.[24] Hancock was later criticised for accepting money from a key backer ofclimate change denial organisation,Global Warming Policy Foundation.[25]
In October 2014, he apologised after retweeting a poem suggesting that theLabour Party was "full of queers", describing his actions as a "total accident".[22][26]
At the2015 general election, Hancock was re-elected as MP for West Suffolk with an increased vote share of 52.2% and an increased majority of 14,984.[27]
Hancock becameMinister for the Cabinet Office andPaymaster General on 11 May 2015.[23] Hancock launched a new social mobility drive to promote diversity within the civil service, outlining his vision in a speech in February 2016.[28] He ledDavid Cameron's "earn or learn" taskforce which aimed to have every young person working or studying from April 2017. He announced that jobless 18 to 21-year-olds would be required to do work experience as well as looking for jobs, or face losing their benefits.[29]
In the2016 UK referendum on EU membership, Hancock supported the UK remaining within the EU.[30]
Hancock was again re-elected at the snap2017 general election with an increased vote share of 61.2% and an increased majority of 17,063.[31] He was again re-elected at the2019 general election with an increased vote share of 65.8% and an increased majority of 23,194.[32]
Hancock moved to theDepartment for Culture, Media and Sport as theMinister of State for Digital and Culture on 15 July 2016 afterTheresa May became prime minister.[33] As minister for digital policy, Hancock in June 2017 recommitted to a "full fibre" digital policy. This promised that 97% of the UK would enjoy "superfast broadband" at speeds of at least 24 megabits per second by 2020.[34]
In August 2017, Hancock oversaw the strengthening of UK data protection law. As Digital Minister he announced people would have more control over their personal data and be better protected in the digital age.[35]
On 8 January 2018, Hancock was appointedSecretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in Theresa May's2018 cabinet reshuffle, succeedingKaren Bradley.[36] On his first day in the role he criticised theBBC for the amounts of pay its foreign journalists received, and said that some men at the corporation were paid "far more than equivalent public servants".[37]
In early 2018, Hancock was the first MP to launch his ownmobile app, eponymously named the "Matt Hancock MP App",[38] which functioned as a social network for him to communicate with his constituents and give people updates in relation to his cabinet role.[39] The head of privacy rights groupBig Brother Watch called the app a "fascinating comedy of errors",[40] after the app was found to collect its users' photographs, friend details, check-ins, and contact information.[41] Hancock said his app collected data once consent was granted by the user.[42] The app was eventually shut down at the beginning of 2023.[43]
In May 2018, as Media Secretary, Hancock confirmed the highest stake on fixed odds betting terminals would be cut to £2, after Prime Minister May sided with him over the issue.[44]
FollowingJeremy Hunt's appointment asSecretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Hancock was appointedSecretary of State for Health and Social Care forEngland on 9 July 2018.[23]
In November 2018, Hancock was criticised after appearing to endorse a mobile phone health app marketed by the subscription health service companyBabylon in theEvening Standard. Babylon allegedly sponsored the newspaper article. TheLabour MPJustin Madders wrote to Theresa May accusing Hancock of repeatedly endorsing the products of a company that receivesNHS funds for patients it treats, which contravenes ministerial guidelines. The ministerial code includes that ministers should not "normally accept invitations to act as patrons of, or otherwise offer support to, pressure groups or organisations dependent in whole or in part on Government funding".[45]
In April 2019, Hancock, who had previously said the NHS would face "no privatisation on my watch", was criticised by Labour for allowing 21 NHS contracts worth £127 million to be tendered.[46]
AfterTheresa May announced her intention to resign as prime minister on 24 May 2019, Hancock announced his intention to stand for the Conservative Party leadership. During this campaign, Hancock opposed theprorogation of Parliament to deliverBrexit and called on his fellow leadership candidates to join him on 6 June 2019.[47] He proposed a televised debate with other candidates.[48] He withdrew from the race on 14 June shortly after winning only twenty votes on the first ballot.[49] Following his withdrawal, he endorsedBoris Johnson for the role.[50]
Hancock continued in his role as Health Secretary in Prime MinisterBoris Johnson's cabinet. He supported theprorogation of parliament in 2019 by Johnson which he had previously opposed while running for the Conservative leadership.[51] On 24 September theSupreme Court ruled that the prorogation was unlawful.[52]
In a September 2019Channel 4 News interview, Hancock was asked to respond to allegations that at a private lunch in 1999, Johnson had groped the leg of journalist Charlotte Edwardes under a table. Edwardes also claimed that Johnson did the same to another woman at the same private lunch. In his reply to theChannel 4 News question, Hancock said of Charlotte Edwardes, "I know Charlotte well and I entirely trust what she has to say. I know her and I know her to be trustworthy", a view shared by fellow Conservative MPAmber Rudd. Both Johnson and anonymous Downing Street officials denied the allegation.[53][54][55]
In October 2019, Hancock was lobbied by former Prime MinisterDavid Cameron and financierLex Greensill to introduce a payment scheme. Hancock was implicated in theGreensill scandal as the payment scheme was later rolled out within the NHS.[56]
In November 2019, Hancock publicly apologised to Bethany, a teenager diagnosed withautism, for being kept in solitary confinement in various psychiatric facilities. Hancock apologised "for the things that have gone wrong in her care" and said her case in particular was "incredibly difficult and complex", calling Bethany's case "heart-rending" and saying that he had insisted on "a case review of every single person in those conditions."[57]
On 31 January 2020,COVID-19 was confirmed to havespread to the UK. Hancock said the Government was considering "some quite significant actions that would have social and economic disruption".[58] After the government gave strict social distancing advice which was defied by large numbers of people, Hancock took a stronger line than the prime minister on condemning those still socialising in groups and derided them as being "very selfish".[59] The Government later implemented legislation banning such groups from forming.[60]
On 27 March 2020, along with Boris Johnson, Hancock himself tested positive for COVID-19.[61] He stayed in self-isolation with mild symptoms for seven days, before delivering an update on COVID-19 testing targets and on Government plans to write off £13.4 billion of NHS debt.[62][63][64]
In April 2020, Hancock was criticised when it emerged that the target he had set for 100,000 daily COVID-19 tests had been met only by changing the method of counting, to include up to 40,000 home test kits which had been sent, but not yet completed.[65] This change was challenged by theUK Statistics Authority[66] and labelled a "Potemkin testing regime".[67]
Doctors' groups maintained that they helped deliver 45,000 masks to hospitals that did not have a sufficient supply at the beginning of the pandemic and that families of healthcare workers who died from COVID-19 had expressed concerns about the protection they got. Early in the pandemic NHS staff were photographed with poorly fittingpersonal protective equipment (PPE) and some made improvised gowns for themselves from bin bags. Doctors and MPs criticised Hancock for denying there was a problem.[68]
On 5 April 2020, Hancock warned that all outdoor exercise in England could be banned in response to COVID-19 if people did not follow social distancing rules. He said: "So my message is really clear. If you don't want us to have to take the step to ban exercise of all forms outside of your own home then you've got to follow the rules and the vast majority of people are following the rules."[69]
Hancock received criticism from journalists for perceived sexism after suggesting on 5 May 2020 that Labour MP and shadow health ministerRosena Allin-Khan change the "tone" of her comments.[70] Allin-Khan, a doctor, had stated in Parliament that a lack of testing was costing lives and Hancock suggested she should "take a leaf out of the Shadow Secretary of State's [Jonathan Ashworth's] book in terms of tone".[71]
On 15 August 2020,The Daily Telegraph reported that Hancock was to mergePublic Health England andNHS Test and Trace into a new body called the National Institute for Health Protection, modelled on theRobert Koch Institute. The new body, renamed as theUK Health Security Agency, was set up before autumn amid "a feared surge in coronavirus cases".[72]
On 11 October 2020, Hancock denied breaching a 10 pm drinkingcurfew in the Smoking Room bar in the House of Commons, put in place because of the pandemic.[73][74][75] Eight days later, theDaily Mirror published a photograph of him riding in his chauffeur-driven car without wearing a mask.[76]
On 2 December 2020, Hancock incorrectly claimed that theMHRA's fast approval of the first COVID-19vaccine was possible because ofBrexit. The MHRA stated that it had followed an expeditious procedure allowed under EU legislation which was still in force in the UK during thetransition period.[77]
In January 2021, shopping vouchers for families in need were reintroduced.[78] OnGood Morning Britain, Hancock praised the Government for reintroducing the scheme, despite being repeatedly reminded byPiers Morgan that he had opposed it in Parliament.[79]
On 19 February 2021, after a legal challenge by theGood Law Project, aHigh Court judge ruled that Hancock had acted unlawfully by handing outPPE contracts without publishing details in a timely manner. A ruling released by the High Court stated: "There is now no dispute that, in a substantial number of cases, the secretary of state breached his legal obligation to publish Contract Award Notices (CANs) within 30 days of the award of contracts." The details were published within 47 days.[80]
In April 2021, it was reported that Hancock had been given 20% of shares in Topwood Limited, a firm based inWrexham which is owned by his sister and other close family members.[81] The company specialises in secure storage, scanning and shredding of documents. It won a place on a "procurement framework" listing to provide services toNHS England in 2019, as well as contracts withNHS Wales. There has been no suggestion that Hancock intervened in the normal processes, and in April 2021, the company had not earned anything through the framework.[82]Lord Geidt later produced a report on ministerial interests saying that the awarding of the contract to Topwood could be seen to "represent a conflict of interest" that should have been declared. Hancock responded by saying: "I did not know about the framework decision, and so I do not think I could reasonably have been expected to declare it."[83]
In May 2021, the former Downing Street chief adviserDominic Cummings claimed, "tens of thousands of people died who didn't need to die" during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic due to what he claimed to be "criminal, disgraceful behaviour" within Downing Street under the supervision of Hancock.[84][85] Cummings also said that Hancock should have been fired as Health Secretary for "15 to 20" different things.[86] Following his testimony,YouGov noted that more people in the general public thought Hancock should resign than stay in his post, despite questions over the accuracy of Cummings's statements.[87] Prime Minister Johnson defended Hancock and his decision-making.[88]
Over 20,000 care home residents who were elderly or disabled had died from COVID-19 in England and Wales. TheHigh Court of Justice ruled in a case againstBoris Johnson's government on 27 April 2022 that discharging people into care homes without testing them was unlawful.Lord Justice Bean andNeil Garnham ruled that the policies were not lawful since they disregarded the risk from non-symptomatic transmission of COVID-19 to elderly and vulnerable residents. The judges stated that in spite of "growing awareness" about the risk of asymptomatic transmission during March 2020, there was no evidence Hancock had taken the risk to care home residents into account. The judges stated: "The document could, for example, have said that where an asymptomatic patient (...) is admitted to a care home, he or she should, so far as practicable, be kept apart from other residents for up to 14 days. (...) there is no evidence that this question was considered by the Secretary of State."[89][90]
On 25 June 2021, it was revealed that Hancock had breached COVID-19 social distancing restrictions with Gina Coladangelo, an adviser in the DHSC with whom he was having anextramarital affair, afterCCTV images of him kissing and embracing her in his Whitehall office on 6 May were published inThe Sun newspaper.[91] The Government's guidelines allowed intimate contact with people from a different household only from 17 May.[91] The previous year, Hancock had failed to declare he had appointed Coladangelo as an unpaid adviser at the department and later to a paid non-executive director role on its board, for which Coladangelo would earn between £15,000 and £20,000 annually frompublic funds.[92][93] Coladangelo became a close friend of Hancock after meeting him while they were both undergraduates at Oxford University.[92][94]
Later that day on 25 June, Hancock said that he had "breached the social distancing guidelines in these circumstances" and apologised for "letting people down".[95] Boris Johnson later said that he accepted the apology and considered the matter "closed".[96] However, Hancock resigned on the evening of 26 June, stating "those of us who make these rules have got to stick by them", and he had not because of his "breaking the guidance".[97][98] He was replaced as Health Secretary the same day bySajid Javid.[99]
Former Cabinet ministersAlan Johnson andRory Stewart both said there had never been cameras in their offices during their time in Government, with Johnson saying: "I could never understand why there was a camera in the Secretary of State's office. There was never a camera in my office when I was Health Secretary or in any of the other five Cabinet positions."[100] It was reported that the CCTV footage was leaked by a DHSC employee who opposed the Government's lockdown restrictions, and on 27 June it was confirmed that an internal investigation was undertaken by the department to find the culprit, for fear of future CCTV footage being leaked to states hostile to the UK, for the purposes of blackmail.[101]
News of the scandal was met with a mixture of public anger and ridicule.[102][103] TheCovid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group warned that Hancock's actions could undermine adherence to COVID-19 restrictions, similar to theDominic Cummings scandal.[104]Amanda Milling,Co-chairman of the Conservative Party, suggested that Hancock's affair was a factor in the Conservative Party's failure to win theBatley and Spen by-election on 1 July 2021.[105]
In July 2021, theInformation Commissioner's Office established an inquiry into the leak in the CCTV images.[106] On 29 July, the council of the second largest town in his constituency,Newmarket, passed ano-confidence vote against Hancock as its MP.[107] Mayor Michael Jefferys cast the necessary vote to pass the motion.[108]
According to theIndependent, Hancock faced severe criticism due to a shortage of PPE in the NHS early in the pandemic, the award of contracts for supplying masks and the decision to transfer elderly patients to care homes without COVID-19 testing.[109] Hancock defended his handling of the pandemic and stated: "We suddenly needed masses more PPE and so did everybody else in the world."[109]
On 12 October 2021, Hancock announced his appointment as theUnited Nations Economic Commission for Africa special representative for financial innovation and climate change,[110] an unpaid position advising the Commission on the African economy's recovery from theCOVID-19 pandemic.[111] Four days later, the United Nations announced on 16 October that the offer had been rescinded.[112][113]
During the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Hancock welcomed seven Ukrainian refugees into his family home in Suffolk in May 2022 through the "Homes for Ukraine" scheme.[114][115]
In December 2022, he announced that he would not seek re-election at the next general election (which was later held inJuly 2024.[116]
In June 2023, Hancock was told to apologise to Parliament after being found to have breached the MPs Code of Conduct, by committing a “minor breach” of Commons rules by sending an unsolicited letter to the parliamentary standards commissioner in an attempt to influence the commissioner's investigation into fellow Conservative MPSteve Brine.[117]
In April 2022, it was announced that Hancock would publish his diaries during the COVID-19 pandemic calledPandemic Diaries withBiteback Publishing, cowritten byIsabel Oakeshott.[118] The royalties were planned to be donated to NHS charities.[119][120] The book was to be released in December 2022.
The book was not based on a diary, but was written after the fact. It was based on Hancock's recollections, as well his records of communications.[118][121] It dismissed allegations that moving patients into care homes caused deaths, arguing that the staff in care homes were the vector of disease.[118] The book was also critical ofDominic Cummings.[118][122]
Reviews commented that the book presented too positive an image, making Hancock seem unduly prescient with the benefit ofhindsight, arguing there may be elements ofrevisionism.[118][123]
Gaby Hinsliff reviewing inThe Guardian said that there were kernels of truth about how politicians make decisions in the account but comments on how the book was written with the benefit of hindsight, allowing Hancock to make himself seem prescient.[118] Rod Dacombe writing inthei, said that the diary was absurd and devoid of literary flair.[124]Adam Wagner, writing inProspect magazine, said that the book had a focus on score settling and self-aggrandisation but that there were some genuine revelations. He noted that more will be known when theUK Covid-19 Inquiry reports.[125] Wagner argues Hancock's removal of exceptions for protest from proposed lockdown regulations on the grounds that protests could undermine public trust in measures and his criticism of protestors in the book are suggestive that protests were banned based on the political views of protestors, which Wagner thinks would likely constitute government overreach.[125]
Oakeshott leaked some of the private WhatsApp messages she had access to in aDaily Telegraph article published in February 2023. The Telegraph published a series of articles about these leaks in a series calledThe Lockdown Files.[126] One message from April 2020 suggests Hancock told aides that professorChris Whitty had done "an "evidence review" and recommended "testing of all going into care homes, and segregation whilst awaiting result". Hancock allegedly stated this was a "good positive step". Later, Hancock allegedly stated he would rather avoid a commitment to test all people going into care homes from the community and "just commit to test & isolate ALL going into care from hospital".[127] A spokesman for Hancock said, "These stolen messages have been doctored to create a false story that Matt rejected clinical advice on care home testing".[128]
In January 2023,Andrew Bridgen MP claimed a tweet by Hancock defamed him by labeling his vaccine criticism as antisemitic.[129][130] The High Court partially struck out Bridgen's case in March 2024 and ordered him to pay £40,000 in costs to Hancock.[131][132] In June, Justice Collins Rice ruled Hancock's tweet was an expression of opinion, not fact, but Bridgen could amend his claim.[133] The case remains ongoing as of December 2024.
Hancock was a contestant on the22nd series of the reality television seriesI'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, filmed while Parliament was in session.[121] An agreement was reached with the show's producers that Hancock could communicate with his constituency team throughout his time in the jungle if necessary.[134] Explaining his decision to participate in the show, Hancock said, "I want to raise the profile of mydyslexia campaign to help every dyslexic child unleash their potential — even if it means taking an unusual route to get there, via the Australian jungle"![121] Hancock also explained that he was driven by the intention to display his "human side" and to use reality TV as a means to convey "important messages to the masses".[135] It was reported that Hancock would be paid £400,000, which was "one of the largest show fees" paid to a contestant. His spokesman said that a donation would be made to St Nicholas Hospice in Suffolk and causes supporting dyslexia.[134]
Hancock joined the show on 9 November 2022 with comedianSeann Walsh.[136] After he entered the jungle camp, Hancock was questioned by his fellow contestants, includingCharlene White,Chris Moyles andBabatunde Aléshé, about his time as Health Secretary.[137][138] Although he expressed remorse about breaking social distancing guidelines, he pointed out that he had not broken any laws and said that he did not regret the political decisions he made during the pandemic.[109]
On the episode aired on 16 November 2022, Hancock said that he told Boris Johnson not to run for prime minister again during theOctober 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, and said that former prime ministerLiz Truss's political career is "totally finished" with "no ambiguity at all."[139]
On 27 November 2022, Hancock reached the final of the show, eventually finishing in third place.[140][141]
Hancock's participation in the show was met with a mixed reaction by some of the other contestants. In the episode aired on 18 November 2022, fellow contestantBoy George said in a conversation with Seann Walsh that he found Hancock "slimy and slippery", and later told Hancock that he found it difficult to "separate" the politician from the person.[142] Another contestant, journalistCharlene White, said she feared she would lose her job if she was too sympathetic towards Hancock.[143]
In response to participating in the show, the Conservative Party suspended thewhip for Hancock—in effect removing him from theirparliamentary group but retaining him as a party member.[144][145]
On 5 November, it was reported that an online petition to stop Hancock from appearing on the show had attracted nearly 40,000 signatures.[146] The Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice and38 Degrees groups flew a banner over the camp which read: "Covid bereaved say get out of here!".[147][148]
Prime MinisterRishi Sunak, who had worked with Hancock duringhis tenure as chancellor, said he was "disappointed" at Hancock's decision to participate in a reality television show and expressed his discomfort at the level of degradation Hancock was subjecting himself to.[149][150]
Parliamentary Commissioner for StandardsKathryn Stone stated her office had received "dozens of complaints" about Hancock being on the television show. Stone said that Hancock's decision to join the show raised "important questions about members' proper activities while they're supposed to be fulfilling their parliamentary duties and representing their constituents".[151]Ofcom received just under 2,000 complaints about the show in its first week, including complaints over his appearance on the show and complaints criticising how Hancock was treated by other contestants.[152]
Hancock broke government rules about post-ministerial jobs by not consulting theAdvisory Committee on Business Appointments before he joined the show, according toLord Pickles, the committee chair. However, Lord Pickles advised ministers that taking action against Hancock would be disproportionate.[153]
On 23 May 2024, Rishi Sunak restored the whip to Hancock.[154][155]
Hancock married Martha Hoyer Millar, anosteopath, in 2006.[2] She is a granddaughter ofthe 1st Baron Inchyra.[156] They have a daughter and two sons. Hancock forbids his children to usesocial media.[8][157] The family lived inLittle Thurlow in his West Suffolk parliamentary constituency.[158]
In June 2021, following an affair with his political aide Gina Coladangelo, sources reported that he had left his wife for Coladangelo.[159] Hancock confirmed he was still with Coladangelo during a conversation withBabatunde Aléshé onI'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!.[160][161][162]
Hancock lives in his constituency, and also has a flat in London.[163]
Hancock trained as ajockey in 2012 and won a horse race in his constituency town ofNewmarket.[3] Hancock supportsNewcastle United, and auctioned his "pride and joy" signed team shirt to raise money for the NHS in May 2020.[164][165]
Hancock toldThe Guardian in 2018 that he hasdyslexia, something that he said first became apparent two decades earlier while he was studying at Oxford.[166]
On 25 January 2023, police arrested a 61-year-old man for allegedly assaulting Hancock on theLondon Underground.[167]
There is no public record of the appointment, which will see her earn at least £15,000 of taxpayers' money and could rise by a further £5,000.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forWest Suffolk 2010–2024 | Succeeded by To Be Elected |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Minister of State for Skills and Enterprise 2013–2014 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of State for Business and Enterprise 2014–2015 | Succeeded byas Minister of State for Small Business |
| Minister of State for Energy 2014–2015 | Succeeded by | |
| Minister of State for Portsmouth 2014–2015 | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | Minister for the Cabinet Office 2015–2016 | Succeeded by |
| Paymaster General 2015–2016 | ||
| Preceded by | Minister of State for Digital and Culture 2016–2018 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport 2018 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Secretary of State for Health and Social Care 2018–2021 | Succeeded by |
| Cabinet members | _(St_Edwards_Crown).svg) | |
|---|---|---|
| Also attended meetings | ||
| Departures | ||
Johnson cabinets | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
.svg)
.svg)