WION Explains | The many colourful controversies surrounding former UK health secretary Matt Hancock

United Kingdom's former Health Secretary Matt Hancock has once again made the headlines for all the wrong reasons. A spate of recently leaked WhatsApp texts has revealed controversial messages by the former government official. One shocking conversation had him and his co-worker, UK Cabinet Secretary Simon Chase, joke about locking travellers in quarantine hotels during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet another message suggests that the former health secretary rejected expert guidance during the pandemic. These are but two examples of the many controversies surrounding the politician.

Watch |Former UK health secretary Matt Hancock's leaked texts

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Here's a lowdown of the colourful controversies surrounding Matt Hancock:

The "Potemkin testing regime"

During his time as the UK health secretary, Hancock reportedly created a Potemkin testing regime.

In politics, "Potemkin" refers to a construction, literal or figurative, the sole purpose of which is to create a facade that everything is okay and that the country is faring well.

In April 2020, it emerged that to meet a daily 100,000 COVID-19 test target, he changed the method used to count the tests. He made it so that the up to 40,000 home test kits, which had been sent but not yet completed, were included in the tally. This change was challenged by the UK Statistics Authority and came to be known as the "Potemkin testing regime".

Social distancing and extramarital affair

This particular controversy endedwith Hancock's resignation from the post of Britain's health secretary.

On June 25th 2021, it came to light that he broke the country's social distancing rules along with aide Gina Coladangelo.

What made the revelation even more damning was the fact that he and Coladangelo were engaged in an extramarital affair. CCTV images of them kissing went viral at a time when people were unable to hug or comfort friends and family at funerals.

Hancock had to issue an apology, which was even accepted by the then PM Boris Johnson. However, the controversial politician still chose to resign saying "those of us who make these rules have got to stick by them.

This incident not only ended his stint as the health secretary but also his marriage of 15 years. Soon after the footage went viral, the politician and hiswifeMartha Hancock split.

The incident also raised questions regarding a possible breach of the Official Secrets Act owing to the presence of cameras in the Secretary of State's office. As per Wales Online, former Cabinet ministers Alan Johnson and Rory Stewart, both said that "there had never been cameras in their offices during their time in government."

As per the Wales Online report, the CCTV camera that captured Hancock and his aide in the compromising position was hidden inside a smoke detector. The minister also broke social distancing and Covid rules on other occasions, including one where he was photographed riding in a chauffeur-driven car without a face mask and another where he slapped a colleague on the back despite social distancing measures in place.

The 'I'm A Celeb' fiasco

In November of last year, the politician made headlines after joining the reality TV show 'I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!' as a contestant.

An online petition to stop him from appearing on the show gathered around 40,000 signatures. He still participated and even emerged as the third-place winner of the show.

However, his appearance on the show invited lots of ridicule and got him swiftly suspended as an MP of the Conservative Party.

The 'Pandemic diaries'

The recent messages that revealed incidents of Hancock joking aboutlocking travellers in quarantine hotels during the COVID-19 pandemic and rejecting advice from healthcare experts are part of the 'Pandemic Diaries' controversy.

In April 2022, Hancock announced that he would publish his 'diaries' from during the pandemic in the form of a book. This book was coauthored by Journalist Isabel Oakeshott.

It is not based on Hancock's diaries, but rather on his recollections from the pandemic period. As part of the research for the book, Hancock shared with Oakeshott more than 100,000 WhatsApp messages from his conversations with other ministers' aides and public health advisers.

Among them were also messages that detailed Hancock's reaction to the CCTV footage of him and his aide, Gina Coladangelo, canoodling.

"Not sure there's much news value in that and I can't say it's very enjoyable viewing," remarked Hancock as per the leaked messages.

These messages, which were handed over to the journalist under a confidentiality agreement, were made public by Oakeshott.

She says that the decision to make them public is in the public interest and that "no journalist worth their salt would sit on a cache of information on such a historic matter and cover that up." As per a Guardian report, Oakeshott did accept that "her relationship with Matt Hancock soured after he abandoned her in the middle of writing their book in order to appear on I’m a Celebrity."

This move was termed a "massive betrayal and breach of trust," by Hancock. However, not everyone agrees. AsBBC puts it, these messages are "an insight into decision-making at the heart of government during the most testing and turbulent time in recent British history," and a "brilliant scoop."

Other controversies:

In 2014, he had come under fire for sharing a poem on Twitter which suggested the Labour Party was "full of queers". A year later, he was criticised for hiring a private jet to fly back to London from a climate conference in Scotland.

While these remain the major controversies surrounding Hancock, there have been many other albeitless colourfulones.

(With inputs from agencies)

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