Matt Hancock has been accused of “despicable” behaviour after leaked messages suggested he discussed withholding funding for a learning disability centre to pressure an MP not to rebel against coronavirus restrictions.
The former health secretary and an aide spoke about warning Bury North MP James Daly that a new centre for disabled children and adults would be “off the table” if he voted against the Government, according to leaked WhatsApp messages.
Senior Conservative Sir Jake Berry described the disclosure as an “absolute disgrace” and called for Mr Hancock to be hauled before the Commons for questioning.
This is an absolute disgrace.
Hancock should be dragged to the bar of the House of Commons first thing tomorrow morning to be questioned on this. #Hancock https://t.co/WhZnB5doNA
— Jake Berry MP (@JakeBerry) March 6, 2023
Sir Jake, whose son has disabilities, said: “Once you get to the point that you are weaponising the provision of care to disabled children, I think you have crossed the line.”
Mr Hancock’s team said “what’s being accused here never happened” as they disputed the “entirely partial account” based on a trove of his WhatsApp messages handed to the Daily Telegraph.
The newspaper said the discussion between Mr Hancock and political aide Allan Nixon came ahead of a vote on December 1 2020 on the introduction of new Covid-19 restrictions in England.
It came at a time when Whitehall was scrambling to put measures in place because tens of thousands of lives were at stake over the winter, with all options being considered to ensure the vote was won.
Mr Nixon said they needed to “dangle our top asks” over some of the newest MPs who entered Parliament in 2019 through Boris Johnson’s general election victory.
Mr Nixon suggested, for example, “James wants his Learning Disability Hub in Bury – whips call him up and say Health team want to work with him to deliver this but that’ll be off the table if he rebels”.
“These guys’ re-election hinges on us in a lot of instances, and we know what they want. We should seriously consider using it IMO,” he wrote.
Mr Hancock’s response was “yes 100%”.
But he said the threat was never made to him.
Mr Hancock’s spokesman said: “As we’ve repeatedly seen this last week, it is completely wrong to take this entirely partial account and write it up as fact.
“What’s being accused here never happened, demonstrating the story is wrong, and showing why such a biased, partial approach to the evidence is a bad mistake, driven by those with a vested interest and an axe to grind.
“The right place to consider everything about the pandemic objectively is in the public inquiry.”
Rossendale and Darwen MP Sir Jake, a former Tory Party chairman, said: “This is an absolute disgrace.
“Hancock should be dragged to the bar of the House of Commons first thing tomorrow morning to be questioned on this.”
“Politics… is full of sort of arm-twisting and leverage and cajoling. But I actually think once you get to the point that you are weaponising the provision of care to disabled children, I think you have crossed the line and as a local MP and… a father with a son with additional needs, I know how desperately provision of this sort of care is required in the local area.
“And I just think it’s an absolutely despicable and appalling way for Matt Hancock and his advisers to have behaved.”
Downing Street said Rishi Sunak wants the official inquiry to look at all the relevant issues rather than relying on “piecemeal” information.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “Funding decisions are taken in line with strict guidelines to ensure value for money set out in the spending framework and ministers and departments are held accountable for those decisions.”
Asked if the alleged behaviour was not the way Mr Sunak would like his ministers to operate, the spokesman said: “Of course, and there’s rules and guidelines that apply, which I’ve just outlined.”
