Watch: Matt Hancock gives evidence to Covid-19 inquiry

Watch as Matt Hancock gives evidence to the Covid-19 inquiry on Tuesday, 27 June.

The former health secretary, who was in office during the pandemic, will speak about his time as a minister between 2018 and 2021.

Mr Hancock was one of the leading figures of the Tory government’s response to the pandemic before being forced to quit in June 2021 after leaked footage emerged of him breaking social distancing guidelines by kissing Gina Coladangelo in his Whitehall office.

The Covid inquiry is examining the government’s preparedness for the pandemic.

Mr Hancock is the latest high-profile politician to appear before the inquiry, following former health secretary Jeremy Hunt, former prime minister David Cameron, and former chancellor George Osborne.

Mr Cameron conceded it was a “mistake” for his government to focus too heavily on preparations for combating the flu rather than a coronavirus-like pandemic, but defended the programme of austerity cuts to public services under his leadership between 2010 and 2016.

Medics and unions have blamed the cuts for leaving the NHS in a “parlous state” before the pandemic hit.