Matt Hancock attended the launch event for his new book, Pandemic Diaries: The inside story of Britain’s battle against Covid-19, alongside girlfriend Gina Colangelo.
The former Health Secretary and Conservative whip, 44, attended the event at London’s Science Museum last night, where he made a speech and signed copies of the book, which he co-wrote with author Isabel Oakeshott.
Priced at £25, the book is a collection of diary entries that Mr Hancock kept during the pandemic, while he was appointed the role of Health Secretary.
It was during the pandemic that he broke his own social distancing rules by conducting a secret affair with Ms Colangelo, who was employed as his aide at the time.
READ MORE: Five shameless claims from Matt Hancock’s explosive new book on the Covid years
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Andrew Parsons / Parsons Media)
Despite a UK-wide backlash, due to the public adhering to the strict social distancing rules he imposed, which had involved the public not being allowed to see their loved ones for months on end, and many not allowed to say goodbye to family members who succumbed to the illness, the former Health Secretary was all smiles.
His book details his experiences during the pandemic, before resigning as Health Secretary, according to an excerpt published on MailOnline.
He wrote about a visit to one of the most under-pressure hospitals during the pandemic, Basildon Hospital, with NHS frontline staff experiencing countless horrors, such as caring for patients during their final days.
Mr Hancock wrote: “In intensive care, I watched a man consent to being intubated because his blood oxygen levels weren’t sustainable. He spoke to the doctor who said, ‘We want to put a tube in, because we don’t think you’ll make it unless we do that.’ He reluctantly agreed, and within a minute he was flat out on the ventilator. The doctor next to me said, ‘I don’t think we’ll see him again’.”
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Andrew Parsons / Parsons Media)
He also spilled the truth about debates that were taking place at the top levels of Government, with clashes between MPs calling for tougher measures to stop the virus, versus others, such as current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who used the public’s dire financial situation as a way of arguing against tighter restrictions.
Mr Hancock also alleged he had been stabbed in the back by Baroness Betty Boothroyd and Sir Geoffrey Boycott after they individually gave in-depth interviews to the media, criticising the Government’s handling of the vaccine rollout.
On Baroness Boothroyd, Mr Hancock wrote: “Given that I personally ensured she got her first jab fast, it feels a bit rich. It’s particularly miserable being criticised by people I’ve grown up admiring and went out of my way to help, but welcome to the life of a politician.”