Minister: Hancock leaked messages are ‘very selective’

Helen Whately has said claims about government advice on testing people leaving hospital for care homes were based on a “selection” of messages.

The social care minister was referring to a newspaper report of Matt Hancock’s handling of discharging people to care homes in April 2020 when he was health secretary.

Responding to an urgent question in the Commons, she said there were further emails and meetings about the scale of Covid testing.

Earlier, a spokesman for Mr Hancock said the messages had been “doctored” to create a false story which is “flat wrong”.

Matt Hancock disputes claim he rejected care home Covid advice