A journalist and author broke a non-disclosure agreement and leaked 100,000 What’s App messages from the former health secretary of the UK, causing bombshell revelations on the country’s pandemic policy..Matt Hancock served as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care from 2018 to 2021, leading the UK government's response to the coronavirus pandemic..Journalist Isabel Oakeshott helped him write the 2022 book Pandemic Diaries and signed a non-disclosure agreement to be given access to his WhatsApp messages..Oakeshott turned the 2.3 million words of conversations to The Telegraph, which, since February 28, has been running one story after another from the messages. The paper called their series “an unprecedented chance to learn from history.”.The Lockdown Files, as the Telegraph calls them, have thrown the UK government “into a state of panic.” Pupils who falsely tested positive for COVID missed ten days of school even if more reliable PCR tests showed they were negative. Couples who lived apart were prevented from seeing each other, although the Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said the “sex ban” was wrong and “realism” was called for..Whitty told ministers that COVID was not deadly enough to fast-track vaccines. Meanwhile, scientists dismissed the COVID-19 lab leak theory ‘as they feared ban on high-risk experiments’..The messages paint a somewhat unflattering portrayal of Hancock, who hoped COVID-19 could propel his career “into next league” as the virus devastated China. His plan was to “frighten the pants off everyone” about COVID. He rejected advice to cut the 14-day self-isolation period for those who tested positive for COVID-19 because it would “imply we’ve been wrong”..During the pandemic, Hancock had an affair, showing him kissing in public despite social distancing rules. He texted, “The worst they can do is ‘kissed before they legalized hugs.’” Later, he messaged a friend to say he was “thinking of going human” and apologizing. .Other headlines revealed strong-arm tactics to control messaging and enforcement, such as “Can we lock up ‘pub hooligan’ Nigel Farage, asked Hancock’s team”, “How Matt Hancock plotted to have ‘useless loudmouth’ Covid scientist sacked”, and “How ‘off the boil’ MPs who criticised lockdowns were placed on secret red list”. Hancock and a political aide thought of nixing a learning disability hub as leverage to bring an MP to heel who opposed lockdowns. Another article revealed Hancock told ministers to ‘Get heavy with police’ to enforce lockdowns. .The messages suggest former prime minister Boris Johnson was reluctant about pandemic policies. He wanted to lift the lockdown early, but was told the public ‘wasn’t ready’. He also feared Britain’s second lockdown was based on ‘very wrong’ COVID-19 data. Other messages showed he went from lockdown skeptic to zealot depending on who he talked to last. Ministers were warned lockdowns could be worse than Covid itself. Apparently, Johnson was also told it was “not worth a row” with his minister to oppose face masks in secondary schools. .Oakeshott defended the leak, writing in the Telegraph, “We cannot wait any longer for answers on the pandemic. These texts are a vital historical record at a time when we need urgent answers.”
