Nine times Matt Hancock told us to obey the rules

Boris Johnson may consider the ‘case closed’ but what does the public think of Matt Hancock’s fling? For 15 months the embattled Health Secretary has been the face of the government’s Covid policies, appearing at dozens of press briefings and being one of the most ardent lockdown proponents in Whitehall.

Given his countless interviews, statements, conferences and appearances in which he urged the public not to break the restrictions drawn up by his department, Steerpike thought it would be instructive to gather a list of some of Hancock’s most authoritarian quotes.

From threatening to ban outdoor exercise and close the beaches to advising against sex outside ‘established’ relationships, Mr S presents his round-up of Hancock’s best/worst moments:

9 February 2021:  Ten years in jail for Covid returnees

Hancock announced that people returning from holidays who conceal that they’ve been in a red list country would face a prison sentence of up to ten years. He declared: 

I make no apologies for the strength of these measures because we’re dealing with one of the strongest threats to our public health that we’ve faced as a nation.