UK Politics

Matt Hancock questioned over resignation after affair with Gina Coladangelo Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailMatt Hancock has admitted his affair with aide Gina Coladangelo in breach of his own lockdown rules damaged public confidence, as he gave evidence to the Covid inquiry.Taking the stand for a second day on Friday, the ex-health secretary suggested that “the lesson for the future is very clear” in that “it is important that those who make the rules abide by them”, adding: “I resigned in order to take accountability for my failure to do that.”Mr Hancock also defended his decision to discharge hospital patients into care homes without testing them for Covid-19 as “rational and reasonable”, adding: “Nobody has yet brought to me a solution to this problem that I think, even with hindsight, would have resulted in more lives saved.”The MP claimed on Thursday that a phone call he had with Boris Johnson on 28 February 2020 marked the moment government “really started to come into action”, and claimed that had his own “doctrine” been followed, the first lockdown would have come three weeks earlier – saving 90 per cent of those who died in the first wave.Show latest update
1701456358That’s the end of our live updates for today – thanks for following here.We’ll be back next week for two days of bombshell testimony from Boris Johnson. You can read our latest coverage on Matt Hancock’s hearings by clicking here, or else keep scrolling to catch up on today’s events, as we reported them:Katy Clifton1 December 2023 18:451701452398Opinion | The strange allure of super-dweeb Matt HancockIn this Independent Voices piece, Rowan Pelling writes:Matt Hancock is what my schoolfriends and I, aged 17, would have unkindly called a “dweeb”. Maybe even a super-dweeb. What we would have meant by that is he seems gawky, bungling, eager but hopeless, fatally lacking in charisma, wit and social graces. Politics’ very own version of Frank Spencer.And yet somehow, during lockdown, he managed to attract the undeniably gorgeous Gina Coladangelo to his side – a woman he’d known since his Oxford student days, but who seemed out of his league back then. So, what’s changed? Or to alter the question made famous by Mrs Merton: what was it that first attracted you to cabinet minister Matthew Hancock?The fact is power works like catnip on many women. Men who wouldn’t have warranted a second glance as an accountant, or even a backbencher, suddenly acquire a sexy sheen when they are promoted to secretary of state, with the sudden ability to hold sway over huge budgets and millions of lives. Even more so, you imagine, when they’re in charge of the nation’s health during a crisis, when they can muster top scientists and logistics people round a table and talk about “saving lives”, “battling the virus” and using language more suited for war.Andy Gregory1 December 2023 17:391701451318Analysis | Covid inquiry half-time report: the winners and losers so farThe Covid inquiry is supposed to be about delineating what happened during the pandemic, learning lessons, and making findings that can be treated as recommendations. It is independent, and run by senior judge Baroness Hallett, who has been visibly fair in her role. Being statutory, established under the Inquiries Act 2005, and with the chair able to run it as she deems fit, it has no political agenda. It is an investigatory tribunal, and nobody is on trial.Even so, the reputations of many politicians and civil servants are being tested. The final report, which will focus on institutional and “structural” factors, may still criticise or censure key players. There is a human factor.Thus far, there have been some notable winners and losers. Matt Hancock, who was health secretary for most of the pandemic, is a case in point. And on Wednesday and Thursday next week, Boris Johnson will offer his testimony…Our associate editor Sean O’Grady gives his half-time verdict: More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday his government was not prepared to “review its goals” in Ukraine — delivering a blunt and confrontational message to Western leaders on a rare trip to a NATO member state.“We aren’t seeing any signals from Kyiv or its masters about their readiness to seek any kind of political settlement,” Lavrov told reporters while attending a security conference in North Macedonia.“We see no reason to review our goals,” he said.North Macedonia, which joined NATO in 2020, waived a flight ban on Russian officials so that Lavrov could attend the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, prompting the foreign ministers of Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to skip the meeting in protest.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a brief stop in North Macedonia’s capital of Skopje before Lavrov arrived.Participants at the two-day conference accused Moscow of undermining the OSCE. The Vienna, Austria-based organization — originally created to ease Cold War tensions — includes countries from North America, Europe and the former Soviet Union.“It is Russia that is waging an unprovoked and unlawful war against Ukraine, and it is Russia that is obstructing the OSCE agenda,” Katrina Kaktina, Latvia’s representative at the organization said Friday. “Russia is continuing violations of human rights: deliberate killings of civilians, including children, forced deportations, tactics of torture and sexual violence. Those are war crimes being committed by Russia in Ukraine,” she said.Speaking at a news conference in Skopje, Lavrov accused Western countries of showing cowardice by refusing to meet with him.“They probably want to emphasize their intention to isolate Russia but I think they just chickened out,” Lavrov said during the briefing that lasted over an hour.“They’re afraid of any honest conversation,” he said. “It’s cowardice, simple cowardice.”While in Skopje, Lavrov held several bilateral meetings including talks with the foreign ministers of Armenia and North Macedonia as well as with Peter Szijjarto, the foreign minister of Hungary which has maintained close ties with Moscow despite European Union sanctions. ___ Gatopoulos reported from Athens. More

Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UKSign up to our Brexit email for the latest insightLabour’s David Lammy has promised that strengthening the UK’s relationship with the EU is the party’s top foreign policy concern if it wins power next year.The shadow foreign secretary said forging closer ties with Brussels after the damage done by Brexit was Sir Keir Starmer’s “number one priority” in foreign affairs.Mr Lammy also claimed EU leaders and officials find dealing with Sir Keir like “honey on toast” after constant clashes with the Tory government since Britain choose to leave the bloc.The senior MP added that if Labour were to win the election, there would be “a tonal shift” in UK-EU relations with a move to return to more regular talks between the governmental powers.“It’s our number one priority because it’s our backyard,” Mr Lammy told the i’s podcast on a stronger partnership.“It’s our number one priority because there is war in Europe and because I believe our future prosperity and security is predicated on good relationships with our European partners.”The frontbencher also said he believed voters would find it “extraordinary” that the government doesn’t sit down for talks with the EU “every four months or every six months” to talk over big issues. “We need to get back to that,” said Mr Lammy.“I did a meeting with Keir Starmer and European ambassadors and they described the tonal difference as being like honey on toast,” said Mr LammyHe said Sir Keir has built “a very good relationship with German chancellor Olaf Scholz, and claimed the “chemistry” between the Labour leader and French president Emmanuel Macron was “very strong”.Keir Starmer recently picked the EU anthem as his favourite piece of classical music The shadow minister also said the Ukraine war show that a defence security pact with the EU would be high on the agenda, after it was rejected by Boris Johnson during the Brexit negotiations.“We said that we think a security pact is fundamental,” Mr Lammy said. “I think war in Europe demonstrates that.” He said any security pact with the EU would “be cast as wide as possible” to include “security issues in relation to migration”.But Mr Lammy stopped short of a Labour pledge to return to the EU institutions such as the single market or customs union – claiming there could be no contemplation of it in the current political cycle.Instead, he insisted that his focus as foreign secretary would be to work in the national interests of both Leave and Remain voters.However, Mr Lammy said he aware of the “changing mood”, as a recent UK in a Changing Europe report found that 16 per cent of 2016 Leave voters now say they would vote to rejoin.The shadow foreign secretary did not rule out a return to the EU down the track, notable after recent polling suggested the British public has an increasing regret about Brexit.It follows European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen saying young Britons could reverse Breixt by deciding to re-join the EU in the years ahead.The top EU figure said it was up to the next generation to “fix” the mistakes made by British politicians on Brexit in surprise remarks. “We goofed it up, you have to fix it,” she said.Tory deputy chair Lee Anderson claimed he would move to the remote Scottish islands of Orkney if the UK ever voted to reverse Brexit.The right-winger recently suggested that migrants should be sent to Orkney if Rishi Sunak fails to enact his Rwanda deportation plan. More

Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UKSign up to our Brexit email for the latest insightTory deputy chair Lee Anderson has doubled down on his newfound affinity with Orkney, as he claimed he would move to the remote Scottish islands if the UK ever voted to reverse Brexit.The controversial MP – who previously told asylum-seekers to “f*** off back to France” – was accused of showing “disdain” and “inhumanity” after he suggested that migrants should be sent to Orkney if the government fails to resurrect its Rwanda plan.“I know it’s a bit parky up there this time of year. But if people are genuinely escaping war or persecution then a nice Scottish island with a few outbuildings would be suitable,” Mr Ashfield told GB News last week.“If we can find an island in the Orkneys or up there that’s got no-one on there to start off with, put some decent accommodation on, then it’s job done,” the Nottinghamshire MP said, adding that “parts of Scotland are a ‘go to’ destination and he would “like to be able to afford a place up there” himself.His remarks were condemed by Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael as “an exercise in corralling as many prejudices as possible into one space and calling it a policy”, while the Scottish Greens hit back that “our islands are not empty wildernesses” but “thriving communities” which have welcomed refugees.Confronted with Mr Carmichael’s criticisms on GB News on Thursday, Mr Anderson said his father had been stationed on Orkney while in the military, and claimed “people like” Mr Carmichael did not want people seeking asylum “in their back yard” despite “bleating on” about accepting more refugees.The Tory MP was then faced with remarks by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen that younger generations should seek to “fix” the mistake of Brexit. Jarring with the conciliatory moves made by Rishi Sunak in his relationship with the German EU chief, the Tory deputy chair said it was the generation which fought the Nazis who had “fixed the problems in Europe”, adding: “She needs to shut up.”Asked if he believed the UK will rejoin the EU in his lifetime, he said: “I hope not because if we do I’m moving to Orkney isles.”Put to him that Mr Carmichael may object, the Tory MP said: “Well that’ll teach him, won’t it … I’m going to live in the Orkney Isles and stand for parliament in the Orkney Isles.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailMatt Hancock today launched an extraordinary fightback against claims by Boris Johnson’s former top adviser Dominic Cummings that he had “lied his way through the pandemic” and “killed people”.In a highly anticipated hearing at the Covid inquiry, the former health secretary attacked Mr Cummings as a “malign actor” in No 10 who had fostered a “culture of fear” across government.He denied being a liar – a charge levelled at him at various stages of the inquiry – instead blaming the allegations on Mr Cummings creating a “toxic culture” in which ministers and officials sought to blame each other for mistakes.Mr Hancock said “many, many lives” would have been saved if the UK had gone into the first lockdown three weeks before Mr Johnson announced it – claiming he was shut down from giving media interviews during the peak of the pandemic.He admitted the so-called “protective ring” he said had been put around care homes early in the crisis was not an unbroken one – insisting that he understood the hurt many people felt on the issue.On a blockbuster day at the Covid-19 Inquiry:Hancock accused Cummings of creating a “culture of fear”, abusing staff and lying to the inquiryThe ex-health secretary said the nation should have gone into lockdown on 2 March 2020He kept concerns about Eat Out to Help Out out of the news because he believed in a “team effort”Hancock denied wanting to play God after accusations he wanted to “decide who lived and who died”He admitted he was not reading minutes of Sage meetings until FebruaryThe inquiry’s lead counsel Hugo Keith KC grilled Mr Hancock on his claim that he first told the PM to call a national lockdown on 13 March, 2020.Mr Keith then showed the former health secretary his own book, Pandemic Diaries, and asked why he had not made a note of the intervention at the time.He asked: “Telling the prime minister of this country, for the first time, that he had to call an immediate lockdown, is surely worthy of some recollection, is it not?”Former health secretary Matt Hancock giving evidence to the inquiry Mr Hancock said since writing book, the information had “come to light” during his preparation for the inquiry. He referenced an email from himself to Mr Johnson in which he called for a “suppression strategy” to tackle the virus.But an unimpressed Mr Keith said: “The inquiry is well aware of that email… Do you use the word immediate or lockdown?” Mr Hancock then said he was unable to answer the question as he did not have the email in front of him.Rebuking Mr Hancock’s account in an attack on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Cummings said he was “outright lying” by claiming to have privately Mr Johnson to impose the measure and “talking rubbish” to the inquiry.But Mr Hancock went on to claim that “many, many lives” would have been saved if the nation should have gone into lockdown on 2 March 2020 – instead of three weeks later on 23 March 2020.He claimed that Downing Street officials stopped Mr Johnson from saying anything publicly about the virus during in February 2020, and also claimed he was not allowed to give interviews on the subject.The ex-health secretary was told on the evening of 27 February that based on figures at the time there was a “reasonable worst-case scenario of just over half a million people dying”.But at the time, the senior MP claimed, he was “still not being allowed to communicate” and was “not able to go on … certain radio shows including the Today programme”.Dominic Cummings accused Hancock of ‘outright lying’ Mr Hancock also told the inquiry that kept his concerns about then-chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme “out of the news” in the late summer of 2020 as he believed government is a “team effort”.The ex-secretary was grilled about a WhatsApp exchange from August 2020 with the Cabinet secretary Simon Case, in which he said the scheme was “causing problems in our intervention areas. I’ve kept it out of the news but it’s serious”.Asked why he protected any damaging information about the restaurant discount – aimed at getting people out and spending money again – Mr Hancock said: “I believe that government is a team effort. And so I didn’t want that to become a row in public.”The ex-secretary said was not told about Mr Sunak’s scheme until the day the scheme was announced, by which time it was a “done deal”.Mr Hancock also admitted the so-called “protective ring” he said had been put around care homes early in the crisis was not an unbroken one – as he insisted that he understood the hurt many people felt on the issue.Questioned about the phrase he used in May 2020, Mr Hancock said he had been “trying to simply summarise that we had taken action” – before agreeing with the inquiry counsel that the processes put in place “did not form an unbroken circle”.The inquiry also heard that Mr Hancock’s then-media adviser had warned him there might be a problem with the accuracy of the minister having told Mr Johnson that care homes had been “locked down” before the rest of the country.A WhatsApp message from the adviser on May 13 said: “Matt, we might have some issues with you telling the PM we ‘locked down’ care homes before the rest of the country.” But Mr Hancock told the inquiry: “It depends on how you define locked down.”Sunak’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme under the spotlight again Mr Hancock launched into a wider attack on Mr Cummings, blaming the former Johnson adviser for the dysfunction that plagued the government throughout the pandemic.He said that the removal of Sajid Javid as chancellor in February 2020, orchestrated by Mr Cummings, fostered a “culture of fear” which hamstrung the government.“It inculcated a culture of fear. Whereas what we needed was a culture where everybody was brought to the table and given their heads to do their level best in a once in a generation crisis,” he told the inquiry.Mr Hancock went on to claim Mr Cummings “did not regard ministers as a valuable contribution to decision-making” and circumvented emergency Cobra meetings to discuss the pandemic. nstead, he held his own meetings where he even claimed “decisions don’t need to go to the prime minister”, Mr Hancock said. “Now that is inappropriate in a democracy, and I saw it simply as essentially a power grab.”He also described Mr Cummings as a “malign influence” in government who had “abused” his staff and made work during the pandemic “unpleasant”.“It was unpleasant for a whole load of my staff as well, who were subject to this sort of abuse from the chief adviser [Mr Cummings,” Mr Hancock said. “It went wider than I thought at the time,” he added.And Mr Hancock denied a suggestion by the former NHS boss Simon Stevens that he wanted to decide who would live or die if the health service became overwhelmed.The former health secretary said that after a tabletop exercise to plan for the pandemic the NHS asked “how to prioritise when there is insufficient capacity”.Mr Hancock said: “I concluded that it should be for clinicians, not for ministers to make a decision on this basis… the minutes are really clear on that.”And he admitted that he did not read minutes of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) until February. Mr Keith asked whether anyone knew that the health seceretary was not reading the minutes, to which Mr Hancock replied: “I don’t know.” Mr Cummings mocked Mr Hancock for the admission, saying it “explains a lot”. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe former chancellor and Labour Party veteran Alistair Darling has died from cancer at the age of 70, a spokesperson for his family has announced.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer led tributes to a giant of British politics who presided over the rescue of the UK’s banking sector during the global financial crisis of 2008.Sir Keir mourned the “immeasurable loss” of the Labour grandee, who also successfully spearheaded the 2014 campaign for the unionist side which saw Scotland remain part of the UK.Former Labour PM Gordon Brown said his colleague would be remembered as “a statesman of unimpeachable integrity”, and that he relied on the “wisdom and calmness” of his old ally.Sir Tony Blair said Mr Darling was an “outstanding” politician who had been the “safest of safe hands” in his government – adding that he would “remember him with huge affection”.Rishi Sunak paid tribute to “a dedicated public servant who served this country through challenging times”. “The role he played during the 2014 independence referendum was vital in keeping our union together,” he saidA statement issued on behalf of the family on Thursday afternoon said that “the much-loved husband of Margaret and beloved father of Calum and Anna, died after a short spell in Western General Hospital under the wonderful care of the cancer team”.Sir Keir said he was “deeply saddened” by his death. The Labour leader said Mr Darling would be remembered as “the chancellor whose calm expertise and honesty helped to guide Britain through the tumult of the global financial crisis”.Alastair Darling ‘guided’ Britain through financial crisis, said Keir Starmer Sir Keir said he was “incredibly fortunate” to have benefited from the veteran’s counsel over the years. “He was always at hand to provide advice built on his decades of experience – always with his trademark wry, good humour.”He added: “Alistair will be missed by all those whose lives he touched. His loss to the Labour Party, his friends and his family is immeasurable.”Mr Darling served as the chancellor from 2007 to 2010 during the final years of the last Labour government when Mr Brown was prime minister.He was in charge at the Treasury during the crucial period of the global banking crisis, pushing through a huge rescue package for the banks in 2008 which helped stabilise Britain’s economy.Mr Darling facilitated the bailout of the UK banking system following the sub-prime mortgage crash to the tune of £137bn – negotiated in a late-night meeting with bank bosses. He had taken a call from the head of the RBS saying the bank would run out of money within hours.Alastair Darling with close ally Gordon Brown at a Better Together campaign rally in 2014The Labour grandee also ran the successful 2014 Better Together campaign, which saw voters in Scotland reject Scottish independence and opt to stay in the UK by 55 per cent to 45 per cent.Mr Darling was pitted against the might of Alex Salmond’s SNP and the wider “Yes” movement which gained huge momentum in the campaign. But the Labour veteran was seen to get the better of Mr Salmond during a vital pre-poll TV debate – challenging the nationalist leader to explain which currency an independent Scotland would use.Mr Brown said he was “deeply saddened” by the news of Mr Darling’s death. The former PM said his ally was “defined by a strong sense of social justice and who gained a global reputation for the assured competence”.The former Labour leader said Mr Darling was a “popular and effective minister” who was held in the “highest esteem by me and all who worked with him” during the banking bailouts and international economic agreements of 2008 and 2009.Tony Blair gave Mr Darling several top jobs in cabinet before his role as chancellor Mr Brown said Mr Darling was also “resolute and courageous in making the case for Scotland’s place in the United Kingdom” as chair of the Better Together campaign.“I, like many, relied on his wisdom, calmness in a crisis and his humour. He will be missed by all who knew and respected him and benefited from the great work he did,” he said.Sir Tony said he “never met anyone who didn’t like” Mr Darling. “He was highly capable … always kind and dignified even under the intense pressure politics can generate. I liked him and respected him immensely as a colleague and as a friend.”The former Labour PM added: “In all the jobs he did for me in government … he was outstanding. I remember him with huge affection. He has been taken from us far too soon.”New Labour grandee David Blunkett told The Independent that his former cabinet colleague was “one of the most thoughtful and personable politicians I have met”.The ex-home secretary added: “You could disagree with him, and he would immediately put that to one side, enquire how you were and be incredibly supportive if things weren’t going to plan. His early death is both a tragedy for his family, and a great loss to the politics of our country.” Mr Salmond said Mr Darling’s death was “very sad” having happened at a “relatively young age”, and went on to praise his tenure as chancellor during the financial crash. “When the moment of test came, Alistair passed with flying colours.”The former SNP leader also said he never had a “cross word” with Mr Darling outside the “intense” TV debates in the lead-up to the 2014 independence referendum.Mr Darling with the then shadow chancellor George Osborne prior to the 2010 general election The ex-chancellor had been a senior figure in Mr Blair’s government since the 1997 election landslide – starting as chief Treasury secretary, before going to cabinet positions in charge of work and pensions, trade and transport.He first entered parliament in 1987 after winning his Edinburgh South seat from the Conservatives and represented the Scottish capital until he stepped down in 2015.Foreign secretary David Cameron paid tribute to a “thoroughly kind and decent man”. The former PM added: “We owe him a huge debt of gratitude for chairing the Better Together campaign. He has left us far too early.”Former Tory PM Sir John Major said Mr Darling’s death would be felt across the political spectrum – calling him “a decent man who brought civility, reason and intelligence to politics”.Ex-chancellor George Osborne said Mr Darling will be remembered as someone who “brought out the best of politics – softly spoken, intelligent, always trying to do the right thing”.His former Labour colleague Ed Balls said he was “funny” and “passionate”, adding: “Underneath that calmness, he was a radical – he thought that he could change things for the better.”Former PM Theresa May said Mr Darling was a “committed public servant, a proud unionist and a calm, kind and decent man”. Boris Johnson paid tribute to “a towering figure” who “always brought wit, wisdom and intellect to his work”.SNP leader and Scotland’s first minister Humza Yousaf also paid tribute. “He dedicated his life to public service and was a giant of Scottish politics,” he tweeted. More