Matt Hancock
(Picture: PA)Matt Hancock has landed a new gig at the United Nations but let’s just stay congratulations cards are not the latest good at risk of suffering shortages.
The former health secretary – who resigned after footage and images were published of him kissing his aide while social distancing measures were in place – has been appointed as a special representative helping Africa’s economy recover from Covid.
Hancock’s official title will be “UN special representative on financial innovation and climate change for the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa”.
The UN under secretary general, Vera Songwe, said Hancock’s “success” in handling the UK’s pandemic response was a testament to the strengths he would bring to the role.
In a letter, which Hancock posted on Twitter, Songwe said: “The acceleration of vaccines that has led the UK move faster towards economic recovery is one testament to the strengths that you will bring to this role, together with your fiscal and monetary experience. The role will support Africa’s cause at the global level and ensure the continent builds forward better, leveraging financial innovations and working with major stakeholders like the G20, UK government and Cop26.”
His new role will be unpaid and he will continue as a Conservative MP.
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Honoured to be appointed United Nations Special Representative.
— Matt Hancock (@MattHancock) October 12, 2021
I’ll be working with the @UN @ECA_OFFICIAL to help African economic recovery from the pandemic and promote sustainable development.
But reacting to his appointment, Hancock was met with a barrage of criticism from public figures including a number of Labour MPs who accused him of “failing upwards”.
Others pointed out the timing of the appointment – which was on the same day a report from MPs was published concluding that the government made a number of mistakes during the early days of the pandemic, including not locking down early enough, which led to excess deaths.
Dudes who screw up badly in one country should not be given a second chance to screw up with a whole continenthttps://t.co/wntjUWgYsZ
— Madhu Pai, MD, PhD (@paimadhu) October 13, 2021
Matt Hancock’s new role is a white privilege fairy tale on how one man screwed over an entire nation and was then given a second chance.. a second chance to carry out a role for which he has no qualifications whatsoever.. a story will will take you back to colonial times 😍
— Samira Sawlani (@samirasawlani) October 13, 2021
Utter cobblers!!!!
— Jon Trickett MP (@jon_trickett) October 14, 2021
Four months ago he resigned because he broke Covid rules.
Now Hancock is appointed UN special envoy to help Covid recovery in Africa https://t.co/CNjbSjZQiL
Matt Hancock being appointed the UN special envoy to help the Covid recovery in Africa is a bit like a candidate from The Apprentice who was fired on week one being asked to run Alan Sugar’s business empire.
— James Melville (@JamesMelville) October 13, 2021
There’s regular Failing Upwards, and then there’s Supersonic Hilarious Upward Failure. https://t.co/DHidnEbvCU
— Lloyd Cole (@Lloyd_Cole) October 12, 2021
On the same day a report is published criticising Matt Hancock for failures that cost thousands of lives here in the U.K, absolutely staggering to see him announced as a UN Special Envoy to support Africa’s recovery to the pandemic.
— Lisa Nandy (@lisanandy) October 13, 2021
You couldn’t make it up. pic.twitter.com/rfkBiFlvPj
What? Talk about failing upwards.https://t.co/fDSb3CLMHZ
— Angela Rayner (@AngelaRayner) October 13, 2021
Just 4.4% of people in Africa have been fully vaccinated.
— Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP (@BellRibeiroAddy) October 12, 2021
Matt Hancock belonged to a Government that has consistently blocked attempts to increase vaccine supplies to poor countries in order to protect pharmaceutical profits.
This is insulting.https://t.co/rT5n5hABow
Matt Hancock’s going to throw one of his protective rings around Africa now.
— James OhBrien (@mrjamesob) October 12, 2021
Matt Hancock, the man who oversaw “world-beating” numbers of COVID deaths in the UK, has been appointed as a UN envoy to help COVID recovery in Africa.
— Sam Bright (@WritesBright) October 12, 2021
Nothing touches these men, even when their actions lead to thousands of deaths. It’s actually sickening.
Matt Hancock helped block poorer countries producing their own vaccines, leading to millions of deaths, but is now made UN Covid recovery envoy for Africa ! https://t.co/GHrIYFyLrK
— Geraint Davies (@GeraintDaviesMP) October 12, 2021
Nick Dearden, director of group Global Justice Now, which campaigns for jabs to be rolled out across the world, said to the Guardian: “The audacity of this man claiming to help African nations and promote sustainable development is sickening.”
However, the chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat, said it was a “fascinating and important appointment” – which we think is a compliment?
He added: “Boosting the economies of Africa is one of the most essential tasks of this generation.”
Let’s just hope Hancock is up to the job.
