WhatsApp messages sent by Matt Hancock when he was health secretary during the pandemic have been revealed.
The messages, including conversations with ministers and officials, provide an insight into the inner workings of government at the height of the pandemic.
Here are a few of the private texts published in the Daily Telegraph newspaper. The BBC has not seen or independently verified the WhatsApp messages nor the context in which they were sent.
1. ‘What a bunch of absolute arses’
2. ‘I WANT TO HIT MY TARGET’
3. ‘They want an excuse to avoid having to teach’
4. ‘Dying from Covid is as big as your risk of falling down stairs’
5. Testing is working ‘for MOST’
6. ‘Williamson needs a haircut’
7. ‘Drinks cold in the fridge’
8. ‘Eh’
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— Michael P Senger (@MichaelPSenger) March 4, 2023