Hancock condemned over diaries

Matt Hancock’s memories of how he handled care homes during the Covid pandemic has been condemned as a “deluded version” of events.

Nadra Ahmed, chair of the National Care Association which represents small and medium care home providers, said the former Health Secretary’s account “bears no resemblance to the facts”.

She added that his diary, serialised by a daily newspaper, are words “peddled” by a man who “had no awareness of social care and its value then and this demonstrates he has learnt nothing since”.

Mr Hancock insists the virus was primarily brought into facilities by staff.

In his entry on April 2, 2020, Mr Hancock says negative tests would not be needed before patients go into care homes. He said: “The tragic but honest truth is we don't have enough testing capacity to check anyway.”