Isabel Oakeshott says Matt Hancock sent her a ‘menacing message’

The journalist behind the leak of messages Matt Hancock sent during the Covid-19 pandemic has said the former health secretary sent her a “menacing message” after their publication.

In an interview with TalkTV, Isabel Oakeshott said she did not give Mr Hancock advance notice of the leak.

Ms Oakeshott said Mr Hancock was “extremely troubled in terms of how to respond to this”.

A spokesperson for Mr Hancock declined to comment.

In a previous statement, Mr Hancock’s spokesperson said the Daily Telegraph had published “partial leaks” that presented a “distorted account of the pandemic” to “fit an anti-lockdown agenda”.

The spokesperson said the messages had been made available to the official public inquiry into the government’s response to the pandemic.

“Instead of spinning and leaks we need the full, comprehensive inquiry, to ensure we are as well prepared as we can be for the next pandemic, whenever it comes,” the spokesperson said.

The Telegraph has been handed more than 100,000 WhatsApp messages linked to Mr Hancock’s time as health secretary at the height of the pandemic.

The text messages were passed to the newspaper by Ms Oakeshott, who has been critical of lockdowns. She was given copies of the texts while helping Mr Hancock write his book, Pandemic Diaries.

The BBC has not seen or independently verified the WhatsApp messages nor the context in which they were sent.

The Telegraph has published a string of stories based on the messages sent by Mr Hancock, other former ministers and advisers in the government of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

After a day of rancorous debate about the government’s response to the pandemic, Ms Oakeshott appeared on TalkTV to discuss her decision to leak the messages with presenter, Piers Morgan.

Ms Oakeshott was asked by Morgan if she had signed a non-disclosure agreement, which is a legally binding contract used to prevent the disclosure of information.

Ms Oakeshott replied: “Yes.”

When asked by Morgan if she had “deliberately broken that”, Ms Oakeshott replied: “I have, in the public interest.”

The journalist said the public interest in publishing the messages was “overwhelming”, adding she was concerned the public inquiry would be “a whitewash”.

When Morgan asked Ms Oakeshott if she had heard from Mr Hancock since publication, she said: “Yes I have.

“I received a somewhat menacing message at 1:20 in the morning. I am not going to repeat what was in the message.

“I think you can easily surmise whether Matt Hancock is my friend at this point.”

Ms Oakeshott – who is TalkTV’s international editor – also stressed that the Telegraph had not selectively quoted Mr Hancock.

A spokesman for Mr Hancock has previously said the messages were “doctored” and that Mr Hancock is considering legal action.

The publication of the messages has sent shockwaves through the political establishment as the public inquiry into the pandemic picks up pace.

At Prime Minister’s Questions, Rishi Sunak defended the public inquiry as the “right way” to scrutinise the handling of the pandemic and urged people not to focus on “piecemeal bits of information”.

Sir Keir Starmer called for Mr Sunak to ensure the inquiry had all the support it needed “to report by the end of this year”.

Mr Hancock has already given a partial account of his time as health secretary, with the help of Ms Oakeshott, in his book, Pandemic Diaries.

The book was widely viewed as an attempt by Mr Hancock to rehabilitate his reputation after he resigned as health secretary over breaching social distancing guidance by kissing a colleague.

Last year, Mr Hancock said he would not be standing as an MP at the next general election, after receiving criticism for joining the reality TV show I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!