This crisis can propel you into next league, a ‘wise friend’ counselled
Leaks show Hancock’s preoccupation with his career, appearance and social media output at the height of the pandemic
Matt Hancock sent a memo from a “wise friend” to an aide about how his career could be propelled “into the next league” by the Covid pandemic in January 2020, shortly after the first cases of the virus emerged in China.
The message is among a number that can be disclosed by The Daily Telegraph as part of The Lockdown Files where the then health secretary discusses his image and ambitions.
At one point, he remarks “f--- that’s good” to an adviser in response to a poll showing the popularity of Cabinet ministers. At the very start of the pandemic on Jan 29, 2020, when Covid cases in Britain were in single figures, the then health secretary passed his aide a message setting out how he could use “a crisis of this scale to propel [himself ] into the next league”.
The British Government had just started to respond to the situation in Wuhan, where a new virus was posing a global threat.
An evacuation flight from China touched down at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, and the nation watched as 87 Britons and 27 foreigners on board were taken under police escort to quarantine facilities in the Wirral.
Two Chinese nationals in York became the first people in Britain to test positive for Covid.
At this moment, Mr Hancock messaged his media special adviser, Jamie Njoku-goodwin:
Matt Hancock
Have been reflecting About the Coronavirus and your role. Some thoughts: you’ve come over well so far. Calm, authoritative, honest. a well handled crisis of this scale could propel you into the next league, and break you through in terms of public perception. Worth you asking yourself some questions: How do you want your handling of this crisis to be remembered? And how will you project those qualities?
How can you show the PM you’re his ultra competent, non showboaty lieutenant in this? What can you offer him? Get him to chair cobra? What else, to show him you’re looking out for him, not you?
Whose crisis handling do you admire? Why? Whose didn’t you like?
What visuals support the way you want this to come over?
What will the country need when it gets worse? In particular what will they need from you in terms of message and tone?
What do you need to say now, in the knowledge it’s likely to get worse, to prepare the emotional ground? [29/01/2020, 19:53:35]
Matt Hancock
From a wise friend [29/01/2020, 19:53:40]
It is not the only text conversation involving Mr Hancock during the pandemic which mentions his career.
He accepted advice from George Osborne, the former chancellor, and strategised with Lord Bethell of Romford – a close friend who would frequently coach him through Zoom calls in real time.
Messages obtained by The Telegraph suggest that the former health secretary was mindful of his appearance in general. When a press report criticised his behaviour during lockdown, he responded “I think I look great!”. After he embarked on his affair with his adviser Gina Coladangelo, he also turned to her to decide whether to release pictures of him surfing.
He also appears to have been concerned with his social media output. Throughout the pandemic, he exchanged more than 22,000 messages with staff, editing or approving social media posts. “I want people to think I’m working so hard I’m crazy,” he told one of his advisers.
On April 17 and 18, as Helen Whately, his social care minister, was struggling to pin him down for conversations about PPE supplied to care homes, he sent her five Whatsapp messages in their one-to-one chat – but 72 to the team in charge of sending out his tweets.
On Dec 29, 2020, at the height of the second wave, half of Britain had just spent Christmas in confinement, and the number of daily Covid infections had just surpassed 50,000.
Emma Dean, the health secretary’s special adviser, sent him a link to a Yougov poll. It is not clear what the poll showed.
Emma Dean
[Shares link to Yougov poll of the most popular Conservative politicians in the UK] [29/12/2020, 12:00:11]
Matt Hancock
F--- that’s good [29/12/2020, 12:14:16]
Emma Dean
:) [29/12/2020, 12:14:34]
Other messages also contain discussions about public image.
Following that early advice from a “wise friend”, Mr Njoku-goodwin helped Mr Hancock to formulate his personal pandemic strategy.
By mid-april – three and a half weeks into Britain’s first national lockdown – the pair were discussing how “pushing on vaccines” would be “the most politically beneficial thing they do”. Part of the appeal was that it was not “resource intensive”, and that they would “just need to turn up to the parade, salute and cut the ribbon” because it was “purely a comms/ political thing”.
Jamie Njoku-goodwin
Politically, being the guy in favour of a lockdown but also working night and day for a vaccine is the ideal place to be [17/04/2020, 22:22:59]
Matt Hancock
We were first out of the blocks on vaccine [17/04/2020, 22:23:00]
Jamie Njoku-goodwin Exactly [17/04/2020, 22:23:06]
Matt Hancock
But I was put off by everyone saying it will be next year
[17/04/2020, 22:23:16]
Jamie Njoku-goodwin
But since then we have left it alone [17/04/2020, 22:23:20]
Jamie Njoku-goodwin
I’m kicking myself [17/04/2020, 22:23:25]
Matt Hancock
It’s fine – we will get across it [17/04/2020, 22:23:50]
Jamie Njoku-goodwin
People don’t mind if you don’t succeed. They mind if it doesn’t look like we are trying [17/04/2020, 22:25:23]
Jamie Njoku-goodwin
We just need to show we are doing everything we can
[17/04/2020, 22:25:53]
Jamie Njoku-goodwin
We took a punt on the antibody test, with the logic that it was worth it if it came off. Same goes here. If spending £2bn on a vaccine programme means we only accelerate it by a few days, that’s still worth it. Let’s talk to pharma companies and find out what they need. And make sure they get it [17/04/2020, 22:28:10]
Jamie Njoku-goodwin
It won’t take any work – we dont have to do anything, industry is all geared up for this. We just need to turn up to the parade, salute and cut the ribbon. It’s purely a comms/political thing. Bizarrely, pushing on vaccines will be the least resource intensive thing we do, but the most politically beneficial [17/04/2020, 22:30:39]
Matt Hancock
Agree with all this [18/04/2020, 08:17:53]
Mr Hancock’s Whatsapp exchanges also show that he took soundings from Mr Osborne, the former chancellor, for whom he had worked while they were in opposition. When Mr Osborne made some flattering comments about his protégé on the BBC in April 2020, Mr Hancock messaged him to say thank you.
Matt Hancock
Just listened to the BBC profile piece. Thanks for bigging me up [25/04/2020, 21:52:00]
George Osborne
Of course! [25/04/2020, 22:26:36]
George Osborne
You are big now [25/04/2020, 22:26:43]
George Osborne
And I’m proud of how your coping and handling yourself [25/04/2020, 22:31:49]
Not all of his interventions were complimentary. In May, Mr Osborne, who was by then editor of London’s Evening Standard newspaper, warned Mr Hancock not to publicly defend Dominic Cummings, and his now notorious trip to Barnard Castle.
George Osborne
Don’t go out and defend Cummings again – lay low
[23/05/2020, 22:00:54]
Mr Hancock’s Whatsapp messages with his staff also show that he took an interest in his appearance – vetoing images if he felt they did not show him to his best advantage.
He also welcomed images of himself in the press, even if the coverage was negative. During the second wave, as the British public were growing weary of the rules, Boris Johnson released a video urging them to “think twice” before leaving the house and to “stay at home this weekend”.
The Mailonline ran a photograph of Mr Hancock online the following day, “covered in mud” and carrying a rugby ball in a London park. One of his advisers, Damon Poole, alerted him to the coverage:
Damon Poole
Fyi Mailonline just rang saying they have footage of Sofs taking a walk in london/in a park claiming hes going against the rules. Have asked them to share asap [16/01/2021, 17:14:07]
Damon Poole
Matt Hancock in London park after Boris Johnson’s plea to ‘stay home’ [16/01/2021, 17:18:43]
Damon Poole
Ludicrous [16/01/2021, 17:19:25]
Damon Poole
Friend of the Health Secretary: “Matt was outside in line with the rules for exercise.”
[16/01/2021, 17:37:20]
Matt Hancock
If you do need a line say “As you can see, Matt was outside for exercise” [16/01/2021, 18:15:15]
Matt Hancock
I think I look great! [16/01/2021, 18:15:26]
As time wore on, and Mr Hancock began his affair with Gina Coladangelo, he directed staff to her to decide whether they should release pictures:
Damon Poole
Have you said yes to photos of you surfing? [24/05/2021, 17:36:47]
Matt Hancock
Yes [24/05/2021, 17:39:59]
Matt Hancock
Do you think no? [24/05/2021, 17:40:17]
Matt Hancock
Can you talk to Gina and decide. I get the risks [24/05/2021, 17:40:36] Mr Hancock also appeared keen to attach himself to Whitehall successes and told Mr Poole in early 2021 “I want people to think I’m working so hard I’m crazy” on the vaccine rollout. Two days after Britain went into lockdown for the second time, Mr Poole asked Mr Hancock whether he wanted his name to be linked to a government plan to supply Vitamin D to vulnerable people that winter. It was something that Mr Cummings had lobbied for months earlier:
Damon Poole
Hey – was just checking whether you want to be in the vit D story or not. [07/11/2020, 14:33:09]
Matt Hancock
Yes I def want to be in the Vit D story. Base it on “new evidence emerged and I’ve acted fast”
[07/11/2020, 14:34:49]
Matt Hancock
Swift & decisive [07/11/2020, 14:34:58]
The following day, press reports said that Mr Hancock “decided he had to act fast in light of the emerging evidence about vitamin D”. While all of this was going on, Mr Hancock remained closely involved in managing almost every post sent out on his personal account on Twitter. His staff would usually draft them, and he would edit them or demand tweaks until the point he announced they were “cleared”:
Will Frost
1 – (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook) - There is more that needs to be done, & we need to do it together.
Our central strategy is to suppress #coronavirus, while protecting our economy, education, & the NHS, until a vaccine arrives. [01/10/2020, 07:39:28]
Matt Hancock
Remove “central” and the Oxford comma, then cleared
[01/10/2020, 08:02:53]
It was not the only occasion on which the then Health Secretary reminded staff of his preferred style:
Matt Hancock
Please as a general rule don’t do a comma before an ampersand can we reduce the number of hashtags? [04/01/2021, 09:19:00]