The key exchanges from Matt Hancock’s leaked trove of WhatsApp messages
Matt Hancock’s handling of the COVID pandemic has come under fresh scrutiny following a leaked trove of more than 100,000 WhatsApp messages.
An investigation by the Daily Telegraph alleges the former health secretary rejected testing advice on care homes and expressed concern this could get in the way of meeting his targets.
The MP strongly denied the “distorted account” with a spokesman alleging the conversations leaked by journalist Isabel Oakeshott after she worked on his Pandemic Diaries memoir have been “spun to fit an anti-lockdown agenda”.
Former chancellor George Osborne and Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg are also the subject of some of the messages.
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Here, Sky News looks at the key exchanges that reportedly took place:
Hancock says care home testing ‘muddies’ waters
The Telegraph’s investigation claims chief medical officer Professor Sir Chris Whitty told the then health secretary in April 2020 there should be testing for “all going into care homes”.
Mr Hancock described it as “obviously a good positive step”.
But the messages suggest he ultimately rejected the guidance, telling an aide the move just “muddies the waters”.
According to the investigation, he said: “Tell me if I’m wrong but I would rather leave it out and just commit to test and isolate ALL going into care from hospital.
“I do not think the community commitment adds anything and it muddies the waters.”
However, a source close to Mr Hancock said The Telegraph “intentionally excluded reference to a meeting with the testing team from the WhatsApp”.
“This is critical,” the source added, “because Matt was supportive of Chris Whitty’s advice, held a meeting on its deliverability, told it wasn’t deliverable, and insisted on testing all those who came from hospitals.
“The Telegraph have been informed that their headline is wrong, and Matt is considering all options available to him.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Mr Hancock said: “It is outrageous that this distorted account of the pandemic is being pushed with partial leaks, spun to fit an anti-lockdown agenda, which would have cost hundreds of thousands of lives if followed. What the messages do show is a lot of people working hard to save lives.”
Care home testing could “get in the way” of the 100,000 daily test target
Mr Hancock also expressed concerns that expanding care home testing could “get in the way” of the 100,000 daily test target he wanted to hit, the investigation said.
On 2 April, the then cabinet minister put his reputation on the line with a pledge to significantly increase testing by the end of the month as the UK lagged behind Europe in capacity.
Those eligible for the tests initially included the general public and NHS staff, and when advised to widen access to include people in COVID-hit care homes later that month, Mr Hancock said this would be “OK” so long as it did not “get in the way of actually fulfilling the capacity in testing”.
According to the leaked messages, a civil servant told Mr Hancock on 24 April: “Asymptomatic testing sub is reading. Top recommendation is that you agree to: Prioritise testing of asymptomatic staff and residents in care homes where an outbreak has been recorded within the past 14 days. We estimate this will result in 60,000 tests being carried out across 2,000 care homes in the next 10 days”.
Mr Hancock replied: “This is ok so long as it does not get in the way of actually fulfilling the capacity in testing.”
He did not say why this would get in the way of his target but at the time, the government had acknowledged challenges getting tests to care homes.
Mr Hancock later approved the extra testing in care homes which was announced on 28 April.
Hancock texts George Osborne for help
As he struggled to meet his target, leaked messages show Mr Hancock texted former Tory chancellor George Osborne to ask for help.
George Osborne
He said the thousands of spare testing slots were “obvs good news about spread of virus” but “hard for my target”.
Mr Osborne, editor of the Evening Standard until July 2020, had reportedly responded: “Yes – of course – all you need to do tomorrow is give some exclusive words to the Standard and I’ll tell the team to splash it.”
Mr Hancock had later added: “I WANT TO HIT MY TARGET!”
Boris Johnson ‘going crackers’ over testing
Building a centralised test and trace system was one of the biggest challenges for the government during the pandemic.
The £37bn service is widely seen as having failed in its main objective to reduce the spread of the virus and prevent further lockdowns after its launch on May 28 2020.
The “lockdown files” suggest then prime minister Boris Johnson was frustrated over its capacity after it got up and running.
On 4 June he text Mr Hancock saying: “It’s all about testing. That’s our Achilles heel. We can’t deliver a sensible border policy or adequate track and trace because we can’t test enough. Did we go to the Germans for those kits that Angela Merkel was offering ? What is wrong with us as a country that we can’t fix this?”
Former prime minister Boris Johnson
In another message Mr Johnson adds: “We have had months and months.
“I am going quietly crackers about this.”
Mr Hancock replied: “Don’t go crackers. We have test capacity enough to do this. We now have the biggest testing capacity in Europe. The problem is the false negatives – so the medics are against releasing from self isolation (whether for quarantine or T&T) with a negative test.”
Test couriered to Jacob Rees-Mogg for one of his children
The “lockdown files” investigation also claims that officials couriered Jacob Rees-Mogg a COVID test for one of his children while there was a shortage.
The aide messaged Mr Hancock to say the lab had “lost” the original test for one of the then Commons leader’s children, “so we’ve got a courier going to their family home tonight”.
He added: “Jacob’s spad (special adviser) is aware and has helped line it all up, but you might want to text Jacob.”
Jacob Rees-Mogg seen in Downing Street. Pic: PA
It is not clear if Mr Hancock sent a text flagging up the intervention or if the test was delivered.
Commenting on the claim, Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “This is yet more evidence that it’s one rule for Conservative ministers and another for everyone else.
“The COVID inquiry must look into reports Conservative ministers were able to get priority access to tests at a time of national shortage.”
Hancock warned restrictions on care home visits ‘inhumane’
The Telegraph’s investigation also claims social care minister Helen Whately advised the health secretary not to stop “husbands seeing wives” in October 2020.
Social care minister Helen Whately
This was in relation to care home visits, which were to be restricted as the UK went into a tiered lockdown system, with tighter rules in areas with higher COVID rates.
Ms Whately said: “I’m hearing there’s pressure to ban care home visiting in tier 2 as well as tier 3. Can you help? I really oppose that. Where care homes have COVID-secure visiting we should be allowing it. To prevent husbands seeing wives because they happen to live in care homes for months and months is inhumane.”
Mr Hancock replied: “Hearing from whom? Tier 2 was agreed yesterday as far as I’m concerned.”
The rules that came into place that month allowed some visits for those in tier one, but banned them unless under “exceptional circumstances” in other tiers.
In January 2021, when some restrictions still remained on care home visits despite the vaccine rollout, Ms Whately also reportedly said: “I am getting v positive updates from David P on care home vaccinations, with just a handful left to do. As I think I’ve flagged, we do need to be ready with policy on visiting, given risks of lives lost through old people just giving up as well as COVID… and expectation that vaccine = safe to visit.”
Hancock replied: “Yes on visiting but only after a few weeks. Meanwhile we need to hit the end-of-month target!”
Sky News has contacted Ms Whately for comment.
UK
Man and boy arrested on suspicion of arson after restaurant fire leaves two in critical condition
A 54-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy have been arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life after a restaurant fire in east London on Friday.
Three people were taken to hospital in a life-threatening condition after the fire at the Indian Aroma in Ilford.
Two remained in a critical condition on Sunday morning, according to the Metropolitan Police.
The restaurant suffered extensive damage in the blaze.
Two further victims are thought to have left the scene before officers arrived, Scotland Yard said.
Woodford Avenue from above. Pic: UK News and Pictures
Police are still trying to identify them.
CCTV footage seen by the PA news agency appears to show a group of people wearing face coverings walk into the restaurant and pour liquid on the floor.
Seconds later, the inside of the restaurant is engulfed in flames.
“While we have made two arrests, our investigation continues at pace so we can piece together what happened on Friday evening,” said the Met Police’s DCI Mark Rogers.
“I know the community [is] concerned and shocked by this incident.
The moment the fire broke out.
“I would urge anyone with any information or concerns to come forward and speak to police.”
Hospital porter Edward Thawe went to help after hearing screams from his nearby home.
He described the scene as “horrible” and “more than scary and the sort of thing that you don’t want to look at twice.”
He said: “I heard screaming and people saying they had called the police.”
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The 43-year-old said he saw a woman and a severely burned man who may have been customers.
Another witness, who did not want to be named, said he saw three “severely burned” people being doused by the emergency services and given oxygen.
“I can only imagine the pain they were going through,” he said.
On Saturday, the London Ambulance Service told Sky News: “We sent resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, an advanced paramedic, an incident response officer and paramedics from our hazardous area response team.
“We treated five people for burns and smoke inhalation. We took two patients to a major trauma centre and three others to local hospitals.”
The police investigation is continuing.
UK
Fast-track asylum appeals process to be introduced – as average time for decisions is more than one year
A new fast-track asylum appeals process will be introduced to speed up the process of deporting people without a right to remain in the UK, the home secretary has said.
As it currently takes, on average, more than a year to reach a decision on asylum appeals, the government plans to set up a new independent panel focused on asylum appeals to help reduce the backlog.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said “completely unacceptable” delays in the appeals process left failed asylum seekers in the system for years.
There are about 51,000 asylum appeals waiting to be heard.
The new independent body will use professionally-trained adjudicators, rather than relying on judges.
Ministers are introducing a new 24-week deadline for the first-tier tribunal to determine asylum appeals by those receiving accommodation support and appeals by foreign offenders.
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But they believe the current tribunal system, which covers a wide range of different cases, is still failing to ensure failed asylum seekers can be returned as swiftly as possible, nor can it accommodate a fast-track system for safe countries.
It comes amid protests about the use of hotel accommodation for migrants.
The home secretary said the overhaul would result in a system which is “swift, fair and independent, with high standards in place”.
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She said: “We inherited an asylum system in complete chaos with a soaring backlog of asylum cases and a broken appeals system with thousands of people in the system for years on end.
“That is why we are taking practical steps to fix the foundations and restore control and order to the system.
“We are determined to substantially reduce the number of people in the asylum system as part of our plan to end asylum hotels.
“Already since the election, we have reduced the backlog of people waiting for initial decisions by 24% and increased failed asylum returns by 30%.
“But we cannot carry on with these completely unacceptable delays in appeals as a result of the system we have inherited which mean that failed asylum seekers stay in the system for years on end at huge cost to the taxpayer.”
Official figures released earlier this month showed a total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
‘Waving immigrants through even faster will not fix the problem’
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: “I think this goes nowhere near far enough.
“The underlying rights, which allows most illegal immigrants to stay here, are not changing. Simply waving illegal immigrants through even faster to full housing and welfare rights will not fix the problem.”
Chris Philp
He added: “Immigration judges will still apply ever expanding common-sense defying definitions of ECHR rights to allow foreign criminals and illegal immigrants to stay here.”
But the Liberal Democrats have been more positive in their response, with shadow attorney general, Ben Maguire, saying: “A faster application process would mean that those with no right to be here are sent back swiftly and those who do have a valid claim can get a job, integrate and contribute to the community.”
Asked for his thoughts on the policy, immigration lawyer Harjap Singh Bhangal told Sky News that it “definitely sounds like some sort of solution”.
He pointed that the backlog of asylum seekers waiting for a decision is “huge”, around 51,000 people – and that during this time, they are not allowed to work.
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A new fast-track asylum appeals process will be introduced to speed up the process of deporting people without a right to remain in the UK.
He said: “The equivalent would be saying that imagine if A-level students this year sat the exams and were told ‘well, hold on, you’re not going to get your results for two years’ time. But in the meantime, you can’t go to university.’
“You’d have mayhem, and it’d be pandemonium in the street. You’d have broken people idle with nothing to do. Essentially, this is what’s happening to asylum seekers.”
He added that one of the reasons it takes so long for cases to be heard is because asylum seekers have to represent themselves in court, which can mean upwards of half a day is spent translating and explaining everything to them.
Mr Bhangal also said the immigration system is “broken”, because “they take ages to make a decision which could be made in one week”.
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