Matt Hancock’s approach to Dominic Cummings’s allegations has been to come out fighting. He believes he has spent most of today answering questions about these allegations. But Thursday night’s press conference highlighted what he has really been doing today: merely talking at length about the allegations, while dodging any real answers.
No longer cushioned by eager Conservative colleagues, Hancock found himself being repeatedly asked about whether he had told No. 10 that people coming out of hospital would be tested before they were discharged into care homes. The journalists asking those questions listened as the Health Secretary refused to deny saying this, using a precise formula of words to dodge giving a full answer. He then didn’t take any follow-up questions from these journalists, meaning they couldn’t individually complain that he hadn’t actually answered their questions. The Downing Street Zoom press conference format is very convenient for avoiding additional questions. Hancock’s formulation was as follows:
Of course we committed, and I committed, to getting the policy in place but it took time to build the testing.
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