[Fiend]

was a tough wank, but managed to crack one off in the end 

[mrjonathanr]

Johnson will want to keep him till the public enquiry and then sack him so he can he distance himself from the inevitable focus on the failings of the pandemic response.

[andy popp]

Loving the mundanity of the setting: the hideous blue corporate/institutional carpeting, the weird umber wall colour of the walls, the inevitable pot plant and flat screen tv that never gets used bolted to the wall. Perfect.

Also, did anyone else think they were going to start dancing at one point?

[ali k]

Johnson will want to keep him till the public enquiry and then sack him so he can he distance himself from the inevitable focus on the failings of the pandemic response.

I used to think this, but if it doesn’t even get under way until next year, is it feasible for him to be kept in post for several years beyond that while the various people are appointed to lead the enquiry and details start to emerge. It won’t be concluding until well after the next GE, possibly even the one after that. Is Johnson still realistically going to be PM then? Who knows, but it’s a long time for him to be kept on as a human shield. Particularly as whenever Hancock (inevitably) fucks up again in the future people will rightly ask why he’s still there when Johnson is known to think him hopeless.

[Nigel]

Loving the mundanity of the setting: the hideous blue corporate/institutional carpeting, the weird umber wall colour of the walls, the inevitable pot plant and flat screen tv that never gets used bolted to the wall. Perfect.

Its the hi-vis and hard hat on the coathook that gets me.

[andy popp]

Loving the mundanity of the setting: the hideous blue corporate/institutional carpeting, the weird umber wall colour of the walls, the inevitable pot plant and flat screen tv that never gets used bolted to the wall. Perfect.

Its the hi-vis and hard hat on the coathook that gets me.

And random stuff on the floor, next to the bin.

[Bradders]

I'm honestly stunned to see an affair reported not as an infidelity but as a breach of social distancing rules.

"Hancock admits breaking social distance rules with aide"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-57612441

This is bizarre, totally agree. At least the newspapers seem to be focusing more on the issues of infidelity and conflict of interest, which are far more serious in my opinion. Really strange approach from the BBC. I suppose with the social distancing rules there are at least some easy soundbites to go for.

Just on a practical note. How has The Sun got hold of CCTV footage from inside Whitehall?

I wonder if Cummings might have something to do with it,  hes been going after Hancock and feasibly would have had access.

This is also really interesting. Clearly they didn't know the camera was there, which indicates it was hidden in his office. Raises all sorts of security issues!

[TobyD]

I'm honestly stunned to see an affair reported not as an infidelity but as a breach of social distancing rules.

"Hancock admits breaking social distance rules with aide"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-57612441

This is bizarre, totally agree. At least the newspapers seem to be focusing more on the issues of infidelity and conflict of interest, which are far more serious in my opinion. Really strange approach from the BBC. I suppose with the social distancing rules there are at least some easy soundbites to go for.

It's an issue because Hancock was telling people directly on the TV on many occasions how important the rules were and to avoid any close contact etc etc. Many people will have suffered emotionally because they couldn't see people; they thought they were doing the right thing, and the man issuing the instructions was doing whatever he felt like doing.

I agree that in reality the conflict of interest is far more important but I think that the rules thing will have far more public cut through.

[James Malloch]

Don’t know where this should go, but having recently taken out a 2 year contract with EE it was annoying to see they’ve introduced roaming charges in the EU again. Fucking Brexit. The gift that keeps giving…

[Bradders]

I'm honestly stunned to see an affair reported not as an infidelity but as a breach of social distancing rules.

"Hancock admits breaking social distance rules with aide"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-57612441

This is bizarre, totally agree. At least the newspapers seem to be focusing more on the issues of infidelity and conflict of interest, which are far more serious in my opinion. Really strange approach from the BBC. I suppose with the social distancing rules there are at least some easy soundbites to go for.

It's an issue because Hancock was telling people directly on the TV on many occasions how important the rules were and to avoid any close contact etc etc. Many people will have suffered emotionally because they couldn't see people; they thought they were doing the right thing, and the man issuing the instructions was doing whatever he felt like doing.

I agree that in reality the conflict of interest is far more important but I think that the rules thing will have far more public cut through.

Oh yeah not saying it's not an issue, just that it's a shame how today's morality has changed such that these things are apparently lower on the pecking order.

[abarro81]

Don’t know where this should go, but having recently taken out a 2 year contract with EE it was annoying to see they’ve introduced roaming charges in the EU again. Fucking Brexit. The gift that keeps giving…

Pretty sure this is new contracts only. Don't think they could change existing contracts on the fly like that..

[James Malloch]

Don’t know where this should go, but having recently taken out a 2 year contract with EE it was annoying to see they’ve introduced roaming charges in the EU again. Fucking Brexit. The gift that keeps giving…

Pretty sure this is new contracts only. Don't think they could change existing contracts on the fly like that..

I just checked with them and you’re right, thanks. Same for any new contract taken out before 7th July.

Planning to spend as much time away next year as corona/Brexit allows and that would have been quite an extra hit!

[galpinos]

Oh yeah not saying it's not an issue, just that it's a shame how today's morality has changed such that these things are apparently lower on the pecking order.

From when? Cabinet ministers have been caught getting their end away for donkeys’ years, they’ve only taken scalps when the minister involved has lied about it.

[slab_happy]

I'm honestly stunned to see an affair reported not as an infidelity but as a breach of social distancing rules.

"Hancock admits breaking social distance rules with aide"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-57612441

This is bizarre, totally agree. At least the newspapers seem to be focusing more on the issues of infidelity and conflict of interest, which are far more serious in my opinion. Really strange approach from the BBC. I suppose with the social distancing rules there are at least some easy soundbites to go for.

It's an issue because Hancock was telling people directly on the TV on many occasions how important the rules were and to avoid any close contact etc etc. Many people will have suffered emotionally because they couldn't see people; they thought they were doing the right thing, and the man issuing the instructions was doing whatever he felt like doing.

I agree that in reality the conflict of interest is far more important but I think that the rules thing will have far more public cut through.

Oh yeah not saying it's not an issue, just that it's a shame how today's morality has changed such that these things are apparently lower on the pecking order.

Personally, I'm blazingly furious that any of these elements might be what takes him down, when turning the care homes into slaughterhouses (either through a conscious decision to sacrifice them to protect the NHS or just through sheer fucking incompetence) wasn't.

[TobyD]

No chance he will go unless public opinion goes the way of Cummings. 

In which case he'll probably be gifted a seat in the lords by Johnson on the excuse that he needs a rest or something.

Well I'm very happy to admit that being a political seer is perhaps not my strongest suit. Apparently theres more dirt on Hancock in the papers tomorrow. 
I'd never have predicted Sajid Javid for the new health secretary either; I'm not saying he's not competent at all though.  Better him than Gove or virtually any of the other candidates. 

[wasbeen]

I'm honestly stunned to see an affair reported not as an infidelity but as a breach of social distancing rules.

"Hancock admits breaking social distance rules with aide"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-57612441

This is bizarre, totally agree. At least the newspapers seem to be focusing more on the issues of infidelity and conflict of interest, which are far more serious in my opinion. Really strange approach from the BBC. I suppose with the social distancing rules there are at least some easy soundbites to go for.

It's an issue because Hancock was telling people directly on the TV on many occasions how important the rules were and to avoid any close contact etc etc. Many people will have suffered emotionally because they couldn't see people; they thought they were doing the right thing, and the man issuing the instructions was doing whatever he felt like doing.

I agree that in reality the conflict of interest is far more important but I think that the rules thing will have far more public cut through.

Oh yeah not saying it's not an issue, just that it's a shame how today's morality has changed such that these things are apparently lower on the pecking order.

Personally, I'm blazingly furious that any of these elements might be what takes him down, when turning the care homes into slaughterhouses (either through a conscious decision to sacrifice them to protect the NHS or just through sheer fucking incompetence) wasn't.

Couldn't agree more. What kind of fucked up world do we live in where social distancing Trumps genocide in the sack race.

[TobyD]

Couldn't agree more. What kind of fucked up world do we live in where social distancing Trumps genocide in the sack race.

What is even worse is that neither thing appeared to bother his boss, or the fact that he was shagging his adviser behind the backs of his wife and 3 kids.

[mrjonathanr]

People have affairs. It’s tawdry, but not a matter of life and death. Incompetence and dishonesty as Health Sec is exactly that though.

[TobyD]

People have affairs. It’s tawdry, but not a matter of life and death. Incompetence and dishonesty as Health Sec is exactly that though.

I subscribe to the unfashionable belief that having an extra marital affair is pretty grubby. There was an article, I think in the Spectator, believe it or not, on an analysis of politicians who had affairs being very significantly more likely to lie about other things and be poor at their jobs.

Hancock's worst offence, if you regard pandemic response as the responsibility of the whole government, actually sounds like it was using a private email account to hire his friends on government contracts obviously knowing it would be harder to trace.

[mrjonathanr]

Personally, I think his worst offence was his failure to protect the vulnerable residents of care homes, especially in the first wave. His claiming a 'protective ring' had been 'thrown around' care homes when residents with Covid were being discharged into them straight from hospital is disgusting imo.
Some data here. https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/covid-19-and-the-deaths-of-care-home-residents

[mrjonathanr]

No implied criticism of your point btw Toby, i think the level of corruption we have seen is shocking and very serious. But the contempt for care home residents who are the definition of a highly vulnerable population, it's just awful.

[slab_happy]

Personally, I think his worst offence was his failure to protect the vulnerable residents of care homes, especially in the first wave. His claiming a 'protective ring' had been 'thrown around' care homes when residents with Covid were being discharged into them straight from hospital is disgusting imo.
Some data here. https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/covid-19-and-the-deaths-of-care-home-residents

The details make it even worse: care homes were forced to take untested residents, because of the desperate push to clear hospital beds (because of the fear that the NHS was going to very publicly collapse):

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/may/29/patients-were-sent-back-to-care-homes-without-covid-test-despite-bosses-plea

Simultaneous with that, the NHS was prioritized for the (wildly inadequate) PPE supply, so the care homes couldn't get any and had minimal chance of stopping Covid spreading to everyone in a home once it got in.

For a bonus that probably(?) can't be blamed on Hancock: blanket DNRs often being imposed on everyone in a home without consent or family discussion, and a tacit consensus in a lot of places that "DNR" meant not only "do not attempt CPR" but also "we won't send you to hospital if you're ill". And GPs and paramedics refusing to visit.

Basically, they didn't want Lombardy scenes of doctors having to do triage in hospital corridors and decide who'd get treated and who wouldn't.

The triage still happened, just outside the hospitals and behind closed doors:

https://twitter.com/DevanSinha/status/1397504326873096193

[TobyD]

Personally, I think his worst offence was his failure to protect the vulnerable residents of care homes, especially in the first wave. His claiming a 'protective ring' had been 'thrown around' care homes when residents with Covid were being discharged into them straight from hospital is disgusting imo.
Some data here. https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/covid-19-and-the-deaths-of-care-home-residents

The details make it even worse: care homes were forced to take untested residents, because of the desperate push to clear hospital beds (because of the fear that the NHS was going to very publicly collapse):

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/may/29/patients-were-sent-back-to-care-homes-without-covid-test-despite-bosses-plea

Simultaneous with that, the NHS was prioritized for the (wildly inadequate) PPE supply, so the care homes couldn't get any and had minimal chance of stopping Covid spreading to everyone in a home once it got in.

For a bonus that probably(?) can't be blamed on Hancock: blanket DNRs often being imposed on everyone in a home without consent or family discussion, and a tacit consensus in a lot of places that "DNR" meant not only "do not attempt CPR" but also "we won't send you to hospital if you're ill". And GPs and paramedics refusing to visit.

Basically, they didn't want Lombardy scenes of doctors having to do triage in hospital corridors and decide who'd get treated and who wouldn't.

The triage still happened, just outside the hospitals and behind closed doors:

https://twitter.com/DevanSinha/status/1397504326873096193

I am not excusing Hancock at all,  but I was working in quite a few care homes for the entire period of the first wave of coronavirus,  and there are several significant differences between things that I saw on a daily basis.  No doubt many homes couldn't get ppe,  but all of the ones i saw had enough,  indeed probably more than the NHS therapy team i was working for.  Despite this i did go to several where very few of the staff actually wore it properly,  despite it being available. 
There was certainly no protective ring around any care homes, and this was a stupid thing for him to say and fits with  Cummings accusation of him lying repeatedly; but not every detail was Hancock's fault. He certainly appears likely to have given millions of pounds of taxpayers money to his friends,  family and acquaintances, which would be very much directly his fault. 

[Wil]

Despite this i did go to several where very few of the staff actually wore it properly,  despite it being available.   

This was unfortunately the case at the home I worked at, lots of constant fiddling with masks, sitting too close to workmates, mouth covered but not nose.

We had several residents discharged from hospital.  None came back with Covid, but a few came back without a test, or with missing results. They were able to quarantine to an extent, but the only way meant that essentially all staff had some contact with them. For a few others quarantine was easier because they'd had hip ops and couldn't move anyway, but it was a struggle convincing my managers that we had to treat them as if they had covid. I was told on one shift that I was to sit in the room with a recent discharged patient for the entire shift, which I refused to do.

[TobyD]

When the B&S byelection is won by the conservatives,  as it probably will be,  the usual no hopers will be baying for a change of leadership.  They are wrong,  and will only harm the party's reputation and chances even further. 
Much better to concentrate on the moral bankruptcy of the current government and stop obsessing over internal party politics. 
Starmer needs to ask Johnson at PMQs if the PM thinks it is acceptable to conduct an extra martial affair in a place of work, and lie about it afterwards. 

https://inews.co.uk/opinion/george-galloway-has-galvanised-muslim-hoodlums-in-batley-and-spen-to-further-erode-our-failing-democracy-1077385

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jun/30/chance-of-holding-batley-and-spen-as-low-as-5-say-key-labour-figures?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other