Thread by @AdamWagner1

I appreciate some will see the Hancock story as a private affair - but there is an important question of whether the Health Secretary broke his own lockdown laws

As I explain 👇🏼, private indoor meetings between people not living together were unlawful for most of the past year

https://twitter.com/AdamWagner1/status/1358463275063779329

The Sun photo was apparently taken on 3 May, when lockdown was in Step 2.

Gatherings of 2 or more indoors were illegal except for permitted purposes

One purpose was "work" which would cover being together at work but arguably not for this purpose

https://twitter.com/AdamWagner1/status/1374016258983784451

Were they meeting up before this? The Sun suggests they were.

If they were at work, they might argue this fell within the work exception but I think - especially for Health Secretary - that's not a good argument.

If they went elsewhere to meet up, that would clearly be illegal

I wouldn't be surprised if this is the issue which becomes most salient - for the rest of the population, indoor relationships with someone you don't live with were (bizarrely) illegal until 17 May 2021

https://twitter.com/AdamWagner1/status/1376429189063131137?s=20

For people saying "they weren't socially distanced" - correct, but that wasn't against the law, it was (and remains) guidance for work.

A gathering has to be “reasonably necessary” for work purposes to fall within the exception and be legal. Was this particular meeting “reasonably necessary” for work purposes?

https://twitter.com/ranaandbufo/status/1408326328764534787