Matt Hancock podcast: Five biggest revelations as ex health secretary gives tell-all interview

Matt Hancock has opened up for the primary time about his failings as well being secretary through the Covid pandemic and his extremely publicised affair with a detailed aide.

The previous minister was compelled to resign final summer time after CCTV pictures emerged of him kissing shut buddy Gina Coladangelo in his private workplace whereas the nation was nonetheless following the federal government’s social distancing tips.

In a tell-all interview for The Diary of a CEO podcast, Mr Hancock admitted he broke the rules as a result of he “fell in love with any person” – however insisted he didn’t break the legislation.

The daddy-of-three, who subsequently cut up from his spouse of 15 years and moved in with Ms Coladangelo, who was additionally married with three kids, was eager to emphasize their relationship was not “informal intercourse”.

Quizzed on selections he made early on within the pandemic and what the federal government acquired fallacious, Mr Hancock mentioned one among his greatest regrets was the rule solely permitting six individuals to attend a funeral.

He additionally claimed the prime minister’s former chief aide Dominic Cummings tried to get him fired, and revealed Boris Johnson apologised after leaked textual content messages confirmed him describing the the-health secretary as “completely f****** hopeless”.

The MP for West Suffolk, who appeared extra relaxed in a black turtleneck, denims and trainers through the virtually two-hour lengthy podcast, additionally claimed he didn’t miss his ministerial position and was having fun with life on the backbenches.

Listed here are 5 of his greatest revelations throughout his sit down with entrepreneur and Dragon’s Den investor Steven Bartlett:

‘Errors had been made’

Requested how he felt in hindsight with the data 21,000 lives might have been saved if England locked down every week earlier in March 2020, Mr Hancock mentioned: “It’s clearly one thing that I’ll at all times take into consideration.”

He added: “If I seek for what I actually imagine about that, the trustworthy reality is that we didn’t know.

“In fact, hindsight is an excellent factor and it was judgement primarily based on the steadiness of those two scales. I actually want we’d identified then what we all know now.”

He additionally mentioned there have been “some errors we made by way of the measures” and “how they had been introduced in”.

“Simply particulars concerning the issues that basically, actually mattered to individuals,” he mentioned.

“We introduced in guidelines saying six individuals might go to a funeral, very, very restrictive. However for some individuals, particularly individuals who had been shielding, the principles had been interpreted as in some instances even the partner shouldn’t go to the funeral.”

He additionally referred to seeing footage of a younger boy being buried by individuals in hazmat fits with out his mother and father there. “That was simply terrible,” he mentioned.

‘I by no means had informal intercourse, I fell in love’

Mr Hancock took situation with Mr Bartlett referring to informal intercourse through the interview as he talked about guidelines through the first 12 months of the pandemic which restricted contact between {couples} who didn’t dwell collectively.

A visibly uncomfortable Mr Hancock requested: “Do you suppose you can ask the query in just a little extra respectful method?”

Mr Bartlett started once more, however Mr Hancock quickly began shaking his head earlier than asking if he might begin the part of questioning once more with out the reference to informal intercourse.

“I haven’t had informal intercourse with anyone,” he mentioned. “I fell in love with any person.”

“This bit is absolutely exhausting for me,” he added.

‘I broke the principles as a result of I fell in love’

Mr Hancock admitted breaking social distancing tips throughout his affair with Ms Coladangelo – however denied breaking the legislation.

“I resigned as a result of I broke the social distancing tips,” he mentioned.

“By then, they weren’t really guidelines, they weren’t the legislation. However that’s not the purpose.

“The purpose is that they had been the rules that I’d been proposing. That occurred as a result of I fell in love with any person.”

Mr Hancock advised the podcast he had identified Ms Coladangelo for “half of my life” and that he introduced her in to the division to assist with public communications.

“We spent loads of time collectively – satirically making an attempt to get me to have the ability to talk in a extra emotionally clever method – and we fell in love,” he mentioned.

“That’s one thing that was fully outdoors of my management and I after all remorse the ache that that’s brought about and the very, very, very public nature … however I fell in love with somebody.

“It really occurred after the principles had been lifted, however the steering was nonetheless in place.

“I maintain no bitterness about this as a result of I broke the principles, I ’fess up. I broke the steering.”

‘I don’t miss the job’

The previous well being secretary, who stop the prime minister’s cupboard in June 2021, revealed he didn’t miss his job.

“I really don’t miss the job as a lot as I anticipated,” he mentioned. “I’m really actually having fun with the liberty of being on the backbenches on the skilled facet and I’m completely in love with Gina and that helps a bit.”

Mr Hancock additionally claimed the rationale he resigned after the CCTV pictures had been leaked was nothing to do with strain from media.

“It wasn’t actually the press,” he mentioned. “It was that some individuals I actually respect acquired involved and advised me about issues they’d been not capable of do like seeing dying relations and I realised that it was unsustainable.”

He added: “Being well being secretary shouldn’t be almost as troublesome as worrying about your kids in a really public divorce. Undoubtedly, going by way of that’s the hardest factor I’ve ever completed by a protracted, great distance.”

‘Dominic Cummings was making an attempt to get me fired’

Mr Hancock claimed Boris Johnson’s former chief aide Dominic Cummings tried to get him fired.

He additionally revealed the prime minister apologised after Mr Cummings leaked textual content messages saying the then well being secretary had “f***** up ventilators” and was “completely f****** hopeless”.

Mr Hancock advised the podcast: “Yeah however bear in mind at the moment it subsequently transpired Dominic Cummings was making an attempt to get me fired and should you take a look at these textual content exchanges, they’re like a diatribe in opposition to what I used to be as much as and it didn’t really replicate what was happening.

“Boris has apologised for the way in which that came to visit and for sending these messages however really should you take a look at it in context, the context is that this man was making an attempt to get me fired, he despatched a load of aggressive messages to the prime minster, the prime minister responded as he did in a personal setting by no means anticipating that to change into public.”