Classic Hancock.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock ran away from reporters while being quizzed on Wednesday morning about allegations made by former aide to the Prime Minister, Dominic Cummings.
He was stopped whilst out for a jog near his home in London and asked about some of the claims being made by Boris Johnson’s former right-hand man, which include allegations that a policy of herd immunity was how the government planned to deal with the virus at first, and that Hancock should have been sacked on “at least 15 to 20 occasions.”
All that the Health Secretary could give to reporters though, was a soundbite about over 30s being invited to receive their first vaccine jabs, before he ran off into the distance, with nothing but a nonchalant wave behind him.
"Today, anyone over 30 can get a vaccine. So get out there and get your vaccine," says Health Secretary Matt Hancock, before running away from reporters as they ask questions on Dominic Cummings' appearance at a joint inquiry on #COVID19.
Follow live: https://t.co/6O8ETqZ0sB pic.twitter.com/MSp687pYPu
— Sky News (@SkyNews) May 26, 2021
Cummings was appearing before a committee of MPs on Wednesday when he made a number of significant statements and allegations surrounding the government handling of the pandemic.
He was particularly scathing of Matt Hancock, who he claimed held back tests during April 2020 so that he could reach a target of 100,000 tests per day by the end of the month, lied repeatedly in meetings, and according to Cummings should have been fired “for at least 15 to 2o things.”
"I have lost confidence in Matt Hancock's honesty in these meetings."
Dominic Cummings says he and others repeatedly told Boris Johnson to sack Matt Hancock because of his repeated mistakes in the pandemic response. pic.twitter.com/g6KAjsgVL4
— PoliticsJOE (@PoliticsJOE_UK) May 26, 2021
The Prime Minister’s former aide also said that Hancock was one of the main reasons that he made the decision to leave his role in Downing Street.
Cabinet minister Grant Shapps has dismissed Mr Cummings’ appearance before MPs as a ‘sideshow’ and suggested the former No 10 aide ‘has his own agenda.’
“I’ll leave others to determine how reliable a witness to all this he is,” the Transport Secretary told Sky News.
“He was there at the time, what his motives would be I will leave to others.
Most people are interested in getting their vaccine rather than the “sideshow over a former adviser who has his own agenda, presumably,” Mr Shapps said.
