Disgraced Matt Hancock is booed at the Covid inquiry as he denies painting a ‘rosy’ picture of NHS Covid collapse… and renews feud with Dominic Cummings

Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock today denied painting a “rosy picture” of the NHS as it faced collapse during the Covid crisis.

The former Tory MP, who was in charge of the health service between 2018 and 2021, insisted he was not “trying to say everything was perfect” as hospitals collapsed.

Mr Hancock reappeared before the Covid inquiry and also renewed his feuds with former First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon and ex-chief aide No 10 Dominic Cummings.

He accused Ms Sturgeon of causing “all kinds of trouble” during the pandemic, while also claiming part of his job was to “protect” the NHS from “people who are difficult” in Downing Street.

Mr Cummings has previously said Mr Hancock should have been sacked for “at least 15 to 20 things – including lying to everyone multiple times”.

Other former Downing Street staff have accused the former health secretary of showing “nuclear levels of confidence” in his efforts to tackle the pandemic.

A woman booed as Mr Hancock arrived at the inquiry building this morning before giving evidence in person for the third time.

Mr Hancock accused Scotland’s former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon of causing “all kinds of problems” during the pandemic

Mr Hancock appeared before the Covid inquiry and also renewed his feud with ex-chief assistant No 10 Dominic Cummings

Mr Hancock told the inquiry that in the early stages of the Covid crisis he was ‘petrified’ that lockdowns would not be enough to prevent the NHS becoming ‘completely overwhelmed’, as had happened in Italy.

He also refuted claims he wanted to decide “who should live and who should die” if hospitals became overwhelmed with Covid patients during the pandemic.

In his witness statement to the inquiry last year, the former boss of England’s NHS, Lord Stevens, said: ‘The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has taken the position that in this situation he – rather than, for example, the medical profession or the public – is ultimately decide who should live and who should die.’

Mr Hancock said the concept of a tool to prioritize intensive care patients was first proposed in February 2020, but he had actually objected.

“Simon Stevens said I asked for it and wanted to make the decisions myself, but that wasn’t right,” he said.

‘We had a discussion about it and I came to the conclusion that we should not have such an instrument.

“I felt strongly that if we tried to write a national instrument, the local interpretation of it might end up being too legalistic or ticking too many boxes.

“What I wanted was for the doctors to have the discretion to make the decisions they deem appropriate, which is the best way to save lives under the circumstances.”

Mr Hancock hit back at suggestions he was painting a “rosy picture” of the situation in the NHS during the pandemic.

Baroness Heather Hallett, the chair of the inquiry, asked: ‘You made it clear to your Cabinet colleagues and the then Prime Minister that a large number of doctors and nurses were unable to provide the level of care their patients needed?

‘Have you made that clear to all your colleagues? You have not painted the rosy picture that some have suggested?’

Mr Hancock replied: ‘I have been accused in previous modules of painting a rosy picture.

“For each of those specific allegations, there are inaccuracies in the other reports that we have not discussed in detail.

“But all you need to know, Chairman, is that I don’t like passing on money.”

The investigation was shown a document from May 2020 calling for the relationship between the English and Scottish governments to be ‘reset’.

Asked whether that request was related to the scope of the third module of the inquiry – which examines the impact on the health systems of the four countries – Mr Hancock said: ‘No, this was all about the way Nicola Sturgeon caused problems.’

When asked whether there was ‘generally good cooperation’, the former Minister of Health replied: ‘In the health field there was excellent cooperation between the CMOs (Chief Medical Officers), who had their own call, and then between the four Ministers of Health.

‘And you can see from the minutes and the WhatsApp group that we really had a joint approach.’

Mr Hancock also told the inquiry he ‘ruffled some feathers’ as he protected the NHS from political ‘interference’ during the pandemic.

He said part of his role was to ‘protect’ the NHS from ‘people who are difficult in No10’.

“Within the operation of the NHS, we were protected in a sense because of the independence of the NHS,” he said.

‘And because people are difficult for Number 10, part of my job was to provide protection against that.

‘And I know I’ve ruffled some feathers in doing so, but it was also, ironically, my job to protect the NHS from some of that.’

The inquiry also heard from Mr Hancock how No 10’s interference caused ‘incredible problems’ over testing during the pandemic.

He was asked about his previous witness statements, which suggested there was ‘undue political interference from Number 10’, and whether that interference applied to the scope of these hearings.

Mr Hancock said: ‘Well, of course that was partly the case.

‘For example, the biggest interference that caused problems was at the tests, where some of the political appointees in Number 10 caused incredible problems.

‘But that has nothing to do with this module.’

During the pandemic, Mr Cummings spearheaded plans to test millions of people a day for Covid under a scheme known as ‘Operation Moonshot’.

The government planned a massive testing blitz before it was known whether the Covid vaccines would work.

Mr Hancock has previously described Mr Cummings as a “malicious actor” and accused him of promoting a “toxic culture” within the government.

Mandy Phillips, who booed Mr Hancock as he walked into the research building, said she believes he ‘should never have been health secretary’.

Ms Phillips, a member of the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group, said “we have not learned enough from the first wave” of Covid infections.

“So I want to come and I want to actually hold him accountable,” she added.

“And I think it’s important that we just sit there, and in my case I’m just going to sit in the back and just look at him.”

Mr Hancock played a key role in the government’s initial response as the pandemic developed.

But his frontline political career ended in infamy after a video emerged of him kissing his aide Gina Coladangelo in his office at a time of social distancing restrictions.

After resigning from Cabinet in June 2021, Mr Hancock controversially appeared on the ITV reality show I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!.

He quit as MP ahead of this year’s general election.