Ministers rally behind Covid inquiry after Hancock WhatsApp revelations

Ministers are battling to maintain confidence in the official Covid inquiry after it emerged that Matt Hancock entrusted more than 100,000 official WhatsApp messages to a journalist renowned as an outspoken critic of lockdown.

Helen Whately, the social care minister, who held the same post at the start of the pandemic, also said the story was misleading. She said the UK only had access to a limited number of tests, and highlighted what she described as an email sent immediately after the crucial message exchange calling for tests on hospital patients entering care homes.

The revelations so far, with the prospect of more stories in the coming days, are nonetheless uncomfortable for Hancock and the government.

Other messages divulged to the Telegraph suggested:

The Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group said coverage of the WhatsApp messages showed the need for families to be represented at the hearings and be allowed to cross-examine witnesses such as Hancock.

The expected stream of further stories based on the messages threatens not just to raise questions about the efficacy and timetable of the inquiry, but to also reignite wider arguments about the response to Covid, including whether lockdown measures were implemented effectively.

Adding to the confusion, there was speculation that Hancock may have breached data rules by passing on a haul of messages from other people without their consent.

Additional reporting by Ben Quinn and Aletha Adu