All great tragedies must have a villain. And who serves that role better at the Covid Inquiry than Matt Hancock? After weeks of damning testimony from his critics, the Casanova of the Commons finally began his long-awaited evidence session yesterday morning. Most of his defence has previously been set out in his much-mocked Pandemic Diaries – a work surely in breach of both good taste and the Trade Descriptions Act.
But there was a moment of levity today when Hancock turned his attention to his old enemy, Nicola Sturgeon – one of the few politicians potentially more narcissistic and power-crazed than he is. ‘There were a number of moments when the first minister of Scotland would communicate in a way that was unhelpful and confusing to the public,’ the former Health Secretary claimed. He went on to describe his dealings with Sturgeon a ‘frustration’, adding:
We found it much more difficult when decisions went up to first minister level, particularly with Nicola Sturgeon.
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