Will anyone ever text Matt Hancock again? It’s day five of the lockdown files today and it seems there’s still more revelations to come from the former health secretary’s WhatsApp messages, handed over to Isabel Oakeshott because he wanted a ghostwritten book to commemorate his triumph. Talk about the grift that keeps on giving…
One of those unlucky politicians who’ve found their messages splashed across the Telegraph is George Osborne. Mr S rather enjoyed reading the former chancellor’s pithy form of texting style, with gems such as ‘no one thinks testing is going well Matt’. Still, Osborne wasn’t always so acerbic, at one stage promising Hancock that he would guarantee him the front page of the Evening Standard if he gave some exclusive quotes on Covid testing.
And on Channel 4’s Andrew Neil Show today, Osborne had the chance to explain himself to the nation. The former Tory MP declined the chance to defend Hancock, remarking that ‘haanding over your entire WhatsApp library over to Isabel Oakeshott is not actually a particularly sensible idea’. And when pressed by his host, Osborne tried to brush off the leaks with humour by pointing out that Hancock’s comments didn’t even make the splash that day thanks to the birth of Boris and Carrie’s baby.
Is there anyone in Westminster who isn’t laughing at Matt Hancock now…?
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