🔴 It was 1am when the pictures were published online of Matt Hancock and his aide Gina Coladangelo in an intimate embrace in his ministerial office.
Just three minutes later the health secretary and aides began a frantic scramble to save his political career
📞Hancock had been expecting the news to break, having received a call from Victoria Newton, the editor of the Sun at 6.53pm on June 24
📕In his book he says he phoned Mr Johnson to inform him of the affair before setting off home to tell his wife, Martha, and their children
💬Messages reveal he was also discussing media strategy with Damon Poole, his special adviser
As they wait to see the story, they note that the newspaper will be printing pictures of the couple telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/03/0…
📰As soon as he sees the front page at 1am, Mr Hancock seems to think that the revelations are not as bad as anticipated and asks to “keep the focus on the appointment” of Ms Coladangelo as a non-executive director [NED] in his department telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/03/0…
⏰ At 6am the same day, Hancock set up a WhatsApp group called “Crisis Management” with Mr Poole and Ms Coladangelo telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/03/0…
🔴 Beth Rigby, Sky’s political editor, messaged Mr Poole with questions about social distancing rules, which Hancock says he doesn’t want to acknowledge breaking
💬 Mr Poole sends over a link about the law at the time, when Britain was Step 2, and Mr Hancock says that their affair was “arguably charitable”, which was one of the exemptions telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/03/0…
📞It is only during a Zoom call with his “boss” Boris Johnson that he suggests apologising for the first time telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/03/0…
🔴 Throughout the course of the pandemic, officials and ministers wrestled with how to ensure the public complied with ever-changing lockdown restrictions.
One weapon in their arsenal was fear
🗣 “We frighten the pants off everyone,” Matt Hancock suggested during one WhatsApp message with his media adviser telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/03/0…
🇺🇦 Bakhmut’s mayor has said Russian forces are turning Bakhmut into Mariupol as Ukrainian troops face “severe pressure” from Russian shelling in the city today
Stay up-to-date with the latest here ⤵️
🇷🇺 Russia's defence minister has inspected the front line in eastern Ukraine and awarded troops on a rare visit to the country as the battle of Bakhmut intensifies
🔴 Mr Hancock and Mr Sunak were at odds during the pandemic over the extent of lockdown measures, with the then health secretary in favour of tighter restrictions than the then chancellor.