FORMER health secretary Matt Hancock has had his complaints over a series of articles published in the Daily Mirror rejected by IPSO.
Hancock complained over a series of pieces published in November and December of last year.
The articles included the allegations that Hancock:
- “Presided over PPE contracts being handed out to acquaintances of ministers and officials including his ex-pub landlord”, during the Covid pandemic.
- “Broke ministerial code by failing to declare he held shared in a family firm that won an NHS contract.”
- Was a “failed health secretary and cheating husband who broke the lockdown rules he wrote, doubled down on the lies he told, helped enrich his mates via the infamous VIP PPE lane, and couldn’t resist monetising the infamy he acquired as a result of his ineptitude at managing the pandemic”.
The complaints were filed under Clause 1 of the Editors’ Code (accuracy) but were all rejected.
Hancock (below) was forced to resign as health secretary after video footage of him emerged of him kissing aide Gina Coladangelo in a breach of coronavirus restrictions.
He has already announced that he will be standing down as an MP at the next General Election.
He now sits as an independent in the House of Commons having lost the Conservative Party whip following his appearance on ITV’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
Hancock has served as the MP for West Suffolk since 2010.
He first complained about the articles in question on June 30 and the full IPSO ruling can be read HERE.
