Hancock ‘threatened to withhold funding for learning disability hub if rebelled against restrictions

Matt Hancock threatened to withhold funding for a children’s learning disability center if an MP rioted against Covid restrictions, leaked WhatsApps suggest.

The former health minister and an aide discussed taking the project ‘off the table’ if James Daly, the MP for Bury North, did not support the local tier system for Covid curbs.

Mr Daly said he was ‘appalled’ and ‘disgusted’ by the reports, but confirmed he had never been threatened with the plan.

Mr Hancock’s team said ‘what is being accused here never happened’ and disputed the ‘entirely partial account’ on the basis of what WhatsApps leaked The Telegraph.

But senior Conservative Jake Berry described the revelation as an ‘absolute disgrace’ and called for Mr Hancock to be taken to the House of Commons for questioning.

Matt Hancock (pictured) discussed withholding funding for a learning disability center to pressure an MP not to riot against coronavirus restrictions, leaked reports suggest

Senior Conservative Jake Berry (pictured) described the revelation as an ‘absolute disgrace’ and called for Mr Hancock to be taken to the House of Commons for questioning

The messages, sent on November 22, 2020, came ahead of a December 1 government vote on England’s local system of levels. Allan Nixon, a special adviser at the Department of Health, told Mr Hancock that ‘we need to dangle our top questions’ about some of the latest MPs who ‘think rebellion’ entered parliament in 2019 through Boris Johnson’s general election victory

The messages, sent on November 22, 2020, came ahead of a December 1 government vote on England’s local system of levels.

Allan Nixon, a special adviser at the Department of Health, told Mr Hancock that “we need to dangle our top questions” about some of the newest MPs who “think rebellion” who entered parliament in 2019 through Boris Johnson’s general election victory.

Mr Nixon pointed to Mr Daly, who wants ‘his Learning Disability Hub in Bury’.

He suggested that the whips “call him up and say the health team wants to work with him to make this happen, but that will be off the table if he revolts.”

He added: “The re-election of these guys depends on us in many cases, and we know what they want. We should seriously consider using it IMO’.

Mr. Hancock’s answer was ‘yes 100%’.

Exchanges on the day of the vote show that the former health minister said Mr Daly is ‘with us’.

But Mr Nixon said that would only be the case if “additional hospitality support comes along.”

However, Daly was one of 53 Tory MPs to vote against the tier system, marking the biggest revolt under Boris Johnson.

Mr Daly, who won his Labor seat in the last election by just 105 votes in 2019, told the paper he was ‘appalled’ and ‘disgusted’ that the disability hub was being discussed as a way of forcing him to vote with ministers .

But he said the threat was never made to him.

Mr Berry, a former Tory party chairman, said: ‘This is an absolute disgrace.

“Hancock must be dragged to the House of Commons bar first thing in the morning to be questioned on this.”

Mr Hancock’s spokesman said: ‘As we have seen this repeatedly over the past week, it is completely wrong to take this wholly partial report as fact.

“What is being accused here never happened, showing the story is false and showing why such a biased, partial approach to the evidence is a big mistake, driven by people with vested interests and an ax to sharpen.

“The right place to objectively consider everything about the pandemic is in the public inquiry.”