Matt Hancock expressed concerns that expanding testing in care homes could “get in the way” of his self-imposed target of 100,000 Covid tests per day, leaked messages show.

The Telegraph has seen messages that suggest Mr Hancock artificially inflated the all-important figure for April 30 by sending out tens of thousands of tests knowing they might never be used.

In a press conference on April 2 2020, the then-health secretary staked his reputation on achieving the six-figure daily total by the end of that month.

The target figure would primarily consist of tests carried out by the NHS and Public Health England (PHE), those distributed by external companies including Amazon and testing centres operated by retailers including Boots.

However, a WhatsApp message sent towards the end of that month suggested that Mr Hancock was concerned that expanding testing of staff and residents in care homes would put his personal goal in jeopardy.

When advised to widen access to testing to include everyone in Covid-hit homes on April 24, Mr Hancock said this would be “OK” so long as it did not “get in the way of actually fulfilling the capacity in testing”.

Read the full story here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/02/28/whatsapp-messages-matt-hancock-care-homes-testing-target/?li_source=LI&li_medium=liftigniter-rhr

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