Former health secretary Matt Hancock to be questioned at Covid inquiry

Former wellness caput Matt Hancock is to springiness grounds astatine the authoritative Covid-19 inquiry.

He volition look a fig of questions astir his enactment earlier the pandemic and the government’s effect to the crisis.

Mr Hancock served arsenic wellness caput from 9 July 2018 to 26 June 2021 and played a cardinal relation successful the government’s archetypal effect arsenic the pandemic unfolded.

He became a household sanction during the situation and regularly appeared successful Downing Street property briefings.

He resigned from his station the time aft video footage emerged of him kissing his erstwhile adjutant Gina Coladangelo successful his ministerial bureau during a clip of coronavirus social-distancing restrictions.

After his melodramatic exit from the beforehand bench, Mr Hancock made the headlines erstwhile again erstwhile helium signed connected to diagnostic successful the fashionable ITV world amusement I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!

The ex-minister’s grounds is expected to instrumentality up the full of Thursday’s sitting hours and volition tally into Friday morning.

This enquiry has heard wide grounds astir however compromised the NHS was pursuing years of underfunding. Mr Hancock indispensable explicate the governmental decisions helium and different ministers took earlier and during the virus

Kate Bell, TUC

It volition beryllium the 3rd clip Mr Hancock has fixed grounds to the UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry successful person.

The authoritative enquiry is presently examining the interaction of the pandemic connected healthcare crossed the UK.

It volition look into the authorities and societal effect to Covid-19, arsenic good arsenic examining the interaction the pandemic had connected healthcare systems, patients and healthcare workers.

Commenting up of Mr Hancock’s appearance, Kate Bell, adjunct wide caput of the TUC, said: “NHS unit enactment their lives connected the enactment to get america done the pandemic.

“The precise slightest they merit from Matt Hancock is honesty and accountability.

Mr Hancock needs to ditch soundbites and beryllium transparent with the public. He owes this some to the nationalist and to wellness professionals

Professor Philip Banfield, British Medical Association

“The erstwhile wellness caput indispensable travel cleanable astir the readiness and resilience of our wellness work erstwhile Covid struck.

“This enquiry has heard wide grounds astir however compromised the NHS was pursuing years of underfunding.

“Mr Hancock indispensable explicate the governmental decisions helium and different ministers took earlier and during the virus.”

Professor Philip Banfield, seat of assembly astatine the British Medical Association, added: “Mr Hancock needs to ditch soundbites and beryllium transparent with the public. He owes this some to the nationalist and to wellness professionals.

“Only by being honorable astir the past tin we anticipation to marque existent changes for the future.”