Good evening. The Lockdown Files reveal that Matt Hancock shared a memo from a “wise friend” about how his career could be propelled “into the next league” by the pandemic in January 2020, shortly after the first Covid cases emerged in China. We have analysis and reaction to the latest revelations.
Matt Hancock praised his own pictures in the media
A message about how Matt Hancock’s career could be propelled “into the next league” is among a number that can be disclosed by the 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 January 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”.
It is not the only text conversation involving Mr Hancock during the pandemic which mentions his career. 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!” And after he embarked on his affair with his adviser Gina Coladangelo, he turned to her to decide whether to release pictures of him surfing.
Mr Hancock was accused of having “breathtaking contempt” for passengers and airline workers by the former boss of British Airways, after deriding the travel industry during the Covid crisis.
Find out how those in government gloated as travellers went through the distress of hotel quarantine by reading this instalment of The Lockdown Files.
Willie Walsh, who ran BA’s parent company until September 2020, hit out after WhatsApp messages leaked to The Telegraph revealed a jibe at “self-serving” airlines.
Emma Beaumont has a piece on the Covid rules that frustrated travellers – but amused ministers.
Evidence that Boris Johnson misled Parliament exists, partygate report claims
The MPs investigating Boris Johnson over partygate said there is evidence he misled Parliament after finding a WhatsApp exchange showing his top press aide struggling to issue a denial.
The Commons privileges committee’s interim report also said it should have been “obvious” to the former prime minister that the socialising events he attended broke his own Covid-19 lockdown rules.
However, Mr Johnson issued a statement claiming the findings showed that the committee had failed to prove he had knowingly or recklessly misled MPs in his denials.
Ben Riley-Smith reports that Mr Johnson also criticised as “surreal” the use of evidence from an earlier partygate inquiry by Sue Gray, the senior civil servant who this week resigned from the Government to become Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff.
Doctors’ union tells strike-cover consultants to charge NHS £5k a day
The doctors’ union is urging consultants to charge the NHS around £5,000 per day if they cover striking junior doctors, guidance reveals. The three days of walkouts, starting on March 13, will see junior doctors withdraw from A&E services as well as planned care, in the most extreme industrial action so far.
Our health editor Laura Donnelly reports that the removal of emergency cover means NHS trusts will be forced to deploy senior medics to do tasks normally performed by juniors.
Guidance from the British Medical Association (BMA) instructs consultants who step in to insist that they are paid recommended minimum rates set by the union.
One senior figure said the rates were “eye-watering” – criticising the union for seeking to ensure that doctors can financially profit while patient safety is in jeopardy.
Evening briefing: Today’s essential headlines
Royals | The Duchess of York has claimed Queen Elizabeth II was “very relieved” she was there to help Prince Andrew through his recent sex abuse scandal. In an exclusive interview with The Telegraph, the Duchess reflected on her relationship with the late monarch, revealing that her ex-husband’s troubles had brought them closer.
- Constance Marten | Baby’s body found in plastic bag in shed during search for newborn
- Cricket racism | Azeem Rafiq ‘said he’d play the race card’ at Yorkshire – follow latest
- Stephen Bear | Reality TV personality jailed over sharing sex video
- Politics | Labour MP facing Commons ban after drunkenly swearing so loudly at aide a ‘bar fell silent’
- Falklands | Argentina withdraws from ‘agree to disagree’ pact over sovereignty
Comment and analysis
- Kate Andrews | The lockdown mentality still plagues Britain today
- Ben Marlow | Biden is crushing the life out of London’s stock market
- Tom Harris | Labour pulled off a masterstroke by hiring Sue Gray
- Ambrose Evans-Pritchard | Global recession has just been postponed
- Hamish de Bretton-Gordon | Putin keeps making the same mistakes
World news: Alex Murdaugh jailed for life over ‘savage’ murder of wife and son
The scion of a prominent American legal family has been jailed for life without parole for “savagely” murdering his wife and son. Alex Murdaugh, 54, shot dead his wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, at their family estate in South Carolina on June 7, 2021. The trial captivated America for the last six weeks and Murdaugh, a disbarred lawyer and opioid addict, was convicted by a jury on Thursday night. Judge Clifton Newman condemned his “duplicitous conduct” in the trial and handed down two consecutive life sentences.
Interview of the day
Sarah Ferguson: The real reason I’ll always stand by Prince Andrew
Ahead of her new novel, the Duchess of York talks exclusively about supporting her ‘poor’ ex-husband and why Diana would be proud of Harry
Sport news: Adil Rashid takes four wickets day after appearing at racism hearing
Jason Roy’s brilliant century and a death-overs blitz and a new-ball burst, both from Sam Curran, put England well on the path to a straightforward series-sealing victory. But it was Adil Rashid who finished off Bangladesh, who have lost an ODI series at home for the first time since 2016, when England last visited. That Rashid, who took four for 45 from his 10 overs, should play such a vital role was remarkable, and testament to his mental fortitude, writes Will Macpherson.
Editor’s choice
Ukraine | I spied on the Russians – with a little help from a ‘Negroni’
Covid | How the Wuhan lab leak went from crackpot theory to the most likely scenario
Health | ‘Doctors fobbed me off for 17 years, nearly costing me my chance to have a baby’
Business news: Hunt expected to extend energy support for three months
Jeremy Hunt is expected to maintain the government’s energy price guarantee at £2,500 a month to avoid households having to pay an extra £500 a year from April. The Government’s cap on what households will pay, which has shielded homes from the worst of the surge in wholesale energy prices, had been due to rise to £3,000 a year from April. Follow the latest news on our business live blog.
Tonight starts now
It’s still possible to find good wines for less than £10 – here are 50 of the best | Juicy merlot, vibrant sauvignon blanc and an inflation-busting white rioja all make the grade in our thrifty selection.
Three things for you
- TV | Hotel Portofino, ITV1, 9pm
- Review | Ken Bruce’s final Radio 2 show: a gracious farewell
- Money | Four tax-saving decisions you must make this month
And finally… for this evening’s downtime
Inside what was once Stalinstadt, East Germany’s forgotten utopian town | Exactly 70 years ago, a model town was created on the banks of the Oder, and imposing traces of its Soviet past survive today.
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Source: telegraph.co.uk