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Lockdown Files

From Alfawiki
The Lockdown Files
Company typeInvestigative journalism project
IndustryMedia, Journalism
Founded2023
FounderIsabel Oakeshott
Area served
United Kingdom
Key people
Matt Hancock, Isabel Oakeshott
ProductsLeaked WhatsApp messages, news articles

The Lockdown Files comprise a collection of articles published in The Daily Telegraph featuring more than 100,000 leaked WhatsApp messages from former health secretary Matt Hancock. These messages expose internal communications within the government during the period of the COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom.

These documents were obtained by The Telegraph through Isabel Oakeshott, who worked alongside Hancock on his book Pandemic Diaries. Oakeshott expressed concerns regarding the slow progress of the UK COVID-19 Inquiry and the risk of information being sanitized, emphasizing that public money was used to obscure officials' identities in legal processes.

Coverage of COVID-19 response

According to The Telegraph, Hancock and his team deliberately employed messaging designed to evoke fear among the population to ensure adherence to public health measures. Jamie Njoku-Goodwin observed that speculation about localized lockdowns, such as those in Leicester, helped promote responsible conduct.[1][2]

In December 2020, a swift investigation linked the alpha variant to increasing infections in Kent. This variant had been sequenced as early as September, with findings presented as "advice to ministers" to circumvent freedom of information inquiries.[3] Hancock and his media adviser Damon Poole discussed strategically timing the disclosure of variant data to influence public reaction and manage media coverage. In January 2021, Simon Case, the Prime Minister’s secretary, highlighted fear and guilt as central themes in government messaging.[1][2]

The introduction of face masks in English schools followed Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to avoid confrontation with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, despite limited scientific endorsement for this measure.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name

In November 2020, while Chris Whitty and his advisors supported a five-day COVID testing alternative to a 14-day self-isolation period for contacts, Hancock rejected this proposal due to concerns it might imply government mistakes. Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg stated that the Cabinet was not informed about this option and that he would have opposed it.[4]Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name

Hancock directed an aide to request that the Home Office investigate Nigel Farage for a potential quarantine breach after Farage visited a pub in July 2020.[5] The messages also revealed conversations among ministers and civil servants about intensifying enforcement of lockdowns through police involvement, including senior officers being summoned to Number 10 Downing Street for instructions.[6]

Care homes

The Telegraph reported that Hancock suggested one reason for discharging hospital patients into care homes without conducting COVID tests during spring 2020 was that testing would "get in the way" of achieving the NHS target of 100,000 tests per day under the NHS testing program. A spokesperson for Hancock denied this claim, affirming that he advocated for testing and that relevant records had been submitted to the COVID-19 inquiry.

The report also noted that around 100 care homes refused COVID-19 tests when offered, with approximately 10 citing concerns about identifying asymptomatic infected staff members.

Devi Sridar, a public health academic writing for The Guardian, contrasted her evidence-based analysis with Hancock’s politically motivated decisions, using care home policies as an example.

Lab leak hypothesis

The Telegraph disclosed that the Cabinet Office censored sections of Hancock's book, Pandemic Diaries, removing his opinions on the lab leak hypothesis and the necessity for further investigation. Hancock sought to dispute the Chinese government's assertion that the virus's closeness to the Wuhan Institute of Virology was merely coincidental, emphasizing that concerns about China should not obstruct a thorough inquiry. He received warnings that opposing this official stance might pose risks to national security.

Political correspondence

According to The Telegraph, messages revealed tensions between Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Matt Hancock regarding policy decisions. Hancock urged Sunak to "Stop your 'allies' from briefing against me," accusing the Treasury of undermining his initiatives. Conflicts emerged over the phrasing of guidance issued to businesses during the easing of restrictions in June 2020, with Sunak and Alok Sharma opposing Hancock and Case.[7]

The publication also uncovered exchanges between parliamentary advisor Allan Nixon and Hancock, in which threats were made to withdraw projects in MPs' constituencies if they resisted the local lockdown tiers legislation in November 2020. To deter dissent, whips created a list of 95 MPs expressing opposition, citing reasons such as insufficient parliamentary oversight, economic damage, hospital strain, lack of cost-benefit evaluation, and the policy being "unconservative." MP Jake Berry condemned these threats as unacceptable and stated he would have revealed them had he known. MP James Daly voiced indignation over his constituency's disability hub being used as leverage but denied receiving direct threats.[8][9]

The Telegraph additionally reported Hancock's efforts to remove Jeremy Farrar from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies following Farrar's public criticism of Government COVID policies and the closure of Public Health England.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name

Individuals with disclosed messages

The Lockdown Files feature messages from:

Individuals referenced in messages

Response

In the New Statesman, Jonn Elledge pointed out that the initial disclosures confirmed long-held suspicions about governance problems, drawing attention to troubling mindsets within the prime minister’s office, cabinet members, and media environment, though these issues were unsurprising given earlier government actions.

Zoe Williams of The Guardian argued that the Lockdown Files do not serve as an effective tool for government accountability, stressing that concerns over financial allocations were more significant than debates about lockdown compromises or Hancock’s regulatory breaches.

Andrew Roberts writing in The Spectator viewed the Lockdown Files as historically important documents, likening them to personal diaries that could lead to a more critical historical judgment of the administration.

The files also gained international media attention, with coverage appearing in France’s Les Echos and German newspapers.

Lockdown and governance

According to The Wall Street Journal, political ambitions shaped the exercise of emergency health powers during the pandemic, with scientific evidence occasionally manipulated to defend unprecedented restrictions, thereby increasing public doubt about lockdown policies.

Jonathan Sumption characterized Hancock’s leadership as vanity-driven, suggesting that Boris Johnson recognized the severity of the restrictions but was influenced by advisors prioritizing image management over scientific accuracy.

Release of material

Matt Hancock asserted that the leaked communications had been altered to promote an anti-lockdown viewpoint and maintained there was no public benefit in their publication since they had already been submitted to the Inquiry. His representative indicated Hancock was considering legal action and accused Isabel Oakeshott of violating a non-disclosure agreement.

Critics such as Elledge from New Statesman contended that the Telegraph selectively released content supporting an anti-lockdown narrative, referencing Allison Pearson’s commentary as an example. Meanwhile, Ian Dunt from the I newspaper condemned Oakeshott for breaching journalistic standards by revealing her source following her employment by Hancock.

David Banks of The Guardian remarked that while journalists have an ethical obligation to protect confidential sources, this principle is primarily intended to safeguard whistleblowers.

Advocates for disclosure, including Fraser Nelson in The Spectator and Julia Hartley-Brewer in the Telegraph, highlighted the public’s entitlement to transparency and criticized media figures opposing openness as biased towards lockdown measures. Andy Cowper from The BMJ praised the revelations for uncovering governance failures during the pandemic and regarded Oakeshott’s disclosure as a service to the public interest.

Sonia Sodha writing for The Guardian called for accelerated examination of COVID-19 policymaking, warning that delays might allow ideological narratives to dominate discussions concerning lockdown trade-offs and societal values.

Inquiry

Oakeshott explained that the decision to publish these messages stemmed from frustration with the slow pace of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry and fears of a possible "whitewash," noting public funds were used to redact officials’ identities. The inquiry chair, Heather Hallett, stressed that statutory powers in the UK are broader than those in other nations and assured there would be no attempt at a "whitewash."

Labour MP Graham Stringer called for a short-term Covid-19 inquiry in light of the lockdown files and concerns about the extended duration of the ongoing investigation.

See also

External links

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named :2
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named :12
  3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named :13
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  6. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named :7
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  8. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named :10
  9. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named :11
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