Matt Hancock reveals sneaky ‘pivot’ technique politicians use to avoid questions

Matt Hancock has revealed the secret way politicians avoid answering questions by using a “pivot” technique.

The shamed MP was grilled by pal Seann Walsh about how politicians always seem calm in interviews and say what they want to say.

But Hancock went further and illustrated how they also avoid questions, a growing problem in political interviews in the last few years.

Hancock said: “Firstly practice and prep. I’ve got like 20 years of answering the question I want to answer, not the one that is given right.

“Blair used the word ‘look’ right if people would ask a difficult question.

“He would say ‘Look what I came here to talk about was my marvellous programme’ and such and such.

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“I mean, in politics it is called the pivot. And so you have to give enough link to the question that it doesn’t look like you’re avoiding the question. Whilst pivoting and a good pivot is admirable.”

Seann replied: “So can politicians literally watch an interview sometimes and see a pivot and be like, ‘good pivot’?”

Hancock nodded and said yes.

Walsh said afterward: “I’ve never seen a politician talk about how they dodged the bullets. And he was there just going ‘look, this is how we do it’.”

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