Matt Hancock and the anatomy of a scandal

Last summer, Rishi Sunak told this magazine about what happened inside government during lockdown. The policy, he said, had been pursued with little consideration of the drawbacks. To even discuss the impact of lockdown – to acknowledge the damage being done to schools or NHS waiting lists – was seen as treachery. At the time, Sunak’s testimony was said to be an exaggerated ploy at the end of a bruising Tory leadership campaign. This week, documents have emerged that prove that government lockdown discussions were even worse than Sunak said.

Seldom do journalists come into possession of such rich material as the texts that are now in the hands of the Daily Telegraph. As health secretary, Matt Hancock was involved in all the important discussions, often taking place over the messaging service WhatsApp. The technology is encrypted and unhackable.