The Lockdown Files: 10 things we’ve learned so far

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The Telegraph has published revelations based on more than 100,000 leaked WhatsApp messages from Matt Hancock, the former health secretary, and other ministers and officials.

The Lockdown Files show the nature of government during the Covid pandemic and how, despite public claims to always “follow the science”, key decisions were made on the fly for political reasons.

They call into question much of the reasoning for months of national lockdowns and other restrictions on daily life in Britain, including social distancing, face masks and the closure of schools.

Matt Hancock was advised to test all care home residents

The Telegraph’s first revelation from the files was that Mr Hancock was advised early in the pandemic that he should test all people admitted to care homes, regardless of whether they had been discharged from hospital or brought in from the community.

Care homes bore the brunt of Britain’s death toll, with more than 40,000 people catching and dying of the virus.

The WhatsApp messages show that in April 2020, Mr Hancock was advised by Sir Chris Whitty, England’s Chief Medical Officer, that ministers should mandate testing for “all going into care homes”.

But Mr Hancock did not follow that guidance, telling his advisers that it “muddies the waters”. The former health secretary denies rejecting Sir Chris’s advice and says the testing capacity was not available at that time.