The revelations have come thick and fast. There was a joke implying that the health secretary believed Rishi Sunak’s “eat out to help out” scheme might have increased covid cases. There was the highest-ranking official who described the then prime minister, Boris Johnson, as a “nationally distrusted figure”. He was referring to the teachers’ unions as “absolute asses.” The leaked phone messages from Matt Hancock’s WhatsApp account have certainly had their share of surprises.
Yet, a week after they were published in the Daily Telegraph by political journalist Isabel Oakeshott, have they really helped our understanding of government decision-making during the pandemic? Or is it just more political gossip?
Political correspondent for The Guardian aubrey allegretti says hanna moore how Oakeshott got hold of the messages and why Hancock called the leak a “mass betrayal.” He breaks down what he tells us about the culture of the government at the time and the decisions they made, and explains why there may be more information to come.
Photography: PA Video/PA
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