Matt Hancock Withheld Crucial Vaccine Data From PM, Influencing UK Lockdown Extension Ruling

The UK government’s decision to extend the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions was influenced by Matt Hancock’s retention of positive data pertaining to the effectiveness of vaccines against the so-called Indian variant. 

As reported by the Telegraph, a source close to the ministerial ‘quad’ - Hancock, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and the Minister for the Cabinet Office Michael Gove - indicated that the Health Secretary had chosen to hide the results of a major Public Health England (PHE) study that showed that both the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines were more effective at preventing hospitalisations from the new variant than they were against older strains.

Hancock’s omission of the data may have played a crucial role in the Prime Minister’s decision to ultimately extend the lockdown.

The quad met on Sunday, June 13th, to decide whether to postpone the planned June 21st reopening until July 19th. As understood by the Telegraph, the Health Secretary was first briefed on the findings of the data on Thursday, June 10th, with PHE sending its comprehensive written analysis to the Health Secretary on Saturday, June 12th. However, Hancock chose to not notify Downing Street of the result until shortly before the quad’s meeting on June 13th, with a cabinet source saying that the email did not amount to a “meaningful attempt to inform [the Prime Minister] of the data.”

Steve Baker, the deputy chairman of the Covid Recovery Group of Conservative Members of Parliament, accused Hancock on Saturday of “bouncing” the Prime Minister into extending the lockdown restrictions under false pretences.

“Either Matt Hancock thought this data was insignificant or he thought it should be withheld from the Prime Minister and other key ministers. Either way, the mind boggles at what conversation must now be necessary with the Prime Minister, and I feel confident it will be a matter of interest to my colleagues on the relevant select committees. If Matt Hancock was deliberately withholding relevant information, what was he trying to gain? … To send an email so late in the day is an act of opposition. It's the sort of thing we do to Labour MPs before appearing in their constituencies to campaign. It's not what a Health Secretary should do to a Prime Minister.” 

A Department of Health spokesman, however, said the notion of the Health Secretary’s “bouncing” of the Prime Minister was “categorically untrue” and the government’s extension of COVID-19 restrictions was purely down to “getting more jabs in arms.” 

“Information which was provided by PHE was shared across Government before the meeting. Analysis and work on the scientific paper continued over the weekend before it was published as soon as it was ready on Monday.”

The results of the PHE study, described by the body as “hugely important findings” were made public on Monday evening. The study was based on an analysis of 14,019 cases of the ‘delta’ variant as recently as June 4th and confirmed that the vaccines offer “significant protection against hospitalisation from the delta variant.”