Hancock messages: How many more ministers received priority tests?
EMBARGO: IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Telegraph reports on former Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s leaked WhatsApp messages show that Jacob Rees-Mogg had priority access to Covid tests when he was a serving Minister.
Today, the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Health, Daisy Cooper MP, questioned Helen Whately, Minister of State for DHSC on how many other Ministers had access to this priority testing.
Helen Whately refused to answer the question.
The Liberal Democrats have also written to the Prime Minister to find out what he knew and when about this priority testing as the serving Chancellor.
Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader, Daisy Cooper MP said:
“These reports are just more evidence that it's one rule for Conservative ministers and another for everyone else.
"The Government must urgently publish exactly how many Conservative Ministers, MPs and their families had access to priority testing when the public faced a national test shortage. The public deserves to know the truth."
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
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Telegraph story here
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Question from Daisy Cooper (Check against delivery)
Mr Speaker, the leaked WhatsApp messages from the then Health Secretary, the Rt Hon Member for West Suffolk, show that despite a huge backlog in Covid testing in September 2020, one of his advisers helped get a test sent to the Rt Hon member for North East Somerset’s home. This is yet more evidence that it's one rule for Conservative ministers and another for everyone else.
So can the Minister inform the House how many other Government ministers, and their nearest and dearest, received priority tests during the lockdowns?
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Text of the letter from Daisy Cooper MP to the Prime Minister
Dear Prime Minister,
I write following the Telegraph’s publication of Matt Hancock’s WhatsApp correspondence during Covid-19.
One of the initial revelations from these messages was that in September 2020, the-then Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg arranged for a Covid test to be couriered to his home by officials, for use by one of his children. This was organised by one of Matt Hancock’s special advisers.
Members of the public will rightly be very concerned by these reports. At a time of a national testing shorting, it looks like it was one rule for Conservative ministers and another rule for everyone else.
It is vital that there is full transparency over this scandal. The public deserve to know whether you were aware of this case, as the-then Chancellor of the Exchequer. It is also vital that you confirm whether this was a one-off - or whether Covid tests were sent to family members of other Cabinet ministers by health officials. I urge you to answer this question as soon as possible.
I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.
Yours sincerely,
Daisy Cooper
Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson
