Downing Street said the prime minister had accepted Matt Hancock’s apology for breaching social distancing guidelines after he was accused of getting an affair with an adviser to his department.
But others have called the health secretary a hypocrite for his actions, with the Liberal Democrats’ spokesperson for health and social care, Munira Wilson MP, saying: “This latest episode of hypocrisy will break the trust with British public. He was telling families to not hug loved ones, while doing whatever he liked within the workplace.”
Below may be a list of samples of when the health secretary has told others to stay by the coronavirus rules in situ at various points during the pandemic.
30 March 2021
Hancock warned Britons: “don’t blow it” because the weather heated earlier within the year, amid concerns about the virus spreading.
23 February 2021
Hancock said it had been vital that “everybody plays their part” to form sure that England’s restrictions might be eased after the foremost recent lockdown. He said:
It depends on people’s circumstances. we’ll be changing the principles to be much more about people taking personal responsibility, exercising sense consistent with their circumstances.
We will began really clearly the risks. People understand the risks – we all know that – and we’ll make that very, very plain then people can exercise their own personal responsibility.
Hancock says ‘it’s on all of us’ to assist ease Covid lockdown in England
10 January 2021
A month earlier Hancock said that flexing the principles might be “fatal”. Speaking on the BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show, Hancock was asked whether the principles at the time may have to be tightened.
I don’t want to take a position because the foremost important message isn’t whether the govt will further strengthen the principles … the foremost important thing is that folks occupy home and follow the principles that we’ve got.Every time you are trying to flex the principles that would be fatal … [he said staying reception was the] most vital thing we will do collectively as a society.
People got to not just follow the letter of the principles but follow the spirit also and play their part.
8 September 2020
In September last year, Hancock blamed the “concerning” UK surge in Covid cases on people having “problems with social distancing”. He told LBC:
The rise within the number of cases we’ve seen within the previous couple of days is concerning. It just reinforces the purpose that folks must follow the social distancing rules, they’re so important … the entire country must following social distancing. we will only do that as an entire society – everybody features a role to play.
May 2020
Hancock said he had been left “speechless” by Prof Neil Ferguson’s “extraordinary” behaviour, and said it had been right for him to resign as a government Sage adviser after he was caught breaking social distancing rules to go to a lady he was seeing.
Prof Ferguson may be a very eminent and impressive scientist and therefore the science that he has done has been a crucial a part of what we’ve listened to. i feel he took the proper decision to resign. i feel the social distancing rules are vital and other people should follow them.
24 March 2020
At the beginning of the pandemic, the health secretary strictly began that there have been only four reasons for people to go away their homes. He stressed that the measures were “not advice, they’re rules”.
The spread of coronavirus is rapidly accelerating across the planet and within the UK. The actions we took yesterday aren’t actions any UK government would want to require but they’re necessary.
Our instruction is simple: occupy home, people will only be allowed to go away home for one among four reasons. First, buying basic neccessities, for instance food, which must be as infrequent as possible. Secondly, exercising. Third, for any medical need or to supply care or to assist a vulnerable person … And fourth, travelling to and from work where employment can’t be done from home … These measures aren’t advice, they’re rules.”
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