Let me begin this column – loosely themed Men of the Home Front – by observing that only Matt Hancock could have the misfortune to relaunch his political career at this precise moment. Yesterday the former health secretary made news landfall with an appearance on a podcast hosted by someone from Dragons’ Den, in which he discussed the prevailing issue of our time: Matt Hancock’s romantic life.
Donning the polo neck of contrition – last seen on Dapper Laughs for a Newsnight appearance in 2014 – Hancock explained he had had to break his own coronavirus guidance because he “fell in love”. Of the female aide in question, he explained: “We spent a lot of time together, ironically trying to get me to communicate in a more emotionally intelligent way.” Thank you, Alanis – although, it actually HAS ended up being quite ironic. All that incredible work on his emotional intelligence and Matt still ends up saying it out loud on a day otherwise dominated by grotesque pictures of war and human carnage from Ukraine.
