Coronavirus: Matt Hancock claims 'biggest communications campaign in history' – despite no adverts on Facebook or Instagram

Health secretary sarcastically offers to 'send a poster' to MP who warns 'social distancing' message is not being broadcast widely enough

Matt Hancock is under fire after claiming “the biggest public communications campaign in history” is telling people how to defeat coronavirus – despite no adverts being placed on Facebook or Instagram.

The heath secretary rejected growing warnings that much of the public is in the dark about official advice on ‘social distancing’, insisting no government had ever done so much.

However, the claim was immediately undermined by research showing not a single advert about the pandemic has run from the government’s official Facebook or Instagram accounts.

The failure is despite the fact that the UK has been offered “millions” in free ad credits to use on two of the world's largest digital advertising platforms.

In the Commons, Caroline Lucas, the Green MP implored Mr Hancock to launch a “much bigger, wider, louder, more comprehensive public health campaign”, telling him: “Right now, it is clearly not getting through.”

But a visibly frustrated health secretary replied: “There is the most comprehensive public communications campaign, probably in the history of government peacetime communications”.

And, turning to Ms Lucas, he added sarcastically: “Maybe I will send a poster to the honourable lady.”

But neither the official ‘UK prime minister’ Facebook account, nor Boris Johnson's personal account, have run ads on any of the measures introduced to delay the spread of coronavirus, data seen by Sky News showed.

The official NHS account has run six ads on Facebook and Instagram since the start of the pandemic, advising anyone with symptoms to stay at home for 14 days.

But the messages – which were last updated on 19 March – do not mention the tougher guidelines announced since, including those urging people to stay home and for the most vulnerable people to isolate themselves.

Ms Lucas added: “It’s not being heard. We need to do be doing an awful lot more in order to catch up and get ahead of this.”

Sian Berry, the Green candidate for London mayor, said: “Two weeks ago, the external electronic advert board in my local chemist was still showing ‘Get ready for Brexit’ ads.”

And Yvette Cooper, the former Labour leadership candidate, said she had watched the prime minister’s Sunday night press conference “in despair”.

“The only ‘social distancing’ advice I can find on the NHS or government websites is very gentle,” she tweeted.

“No instructions to do this, just advice if you want it, no reference to staying more than 2m away from others.”

In South Korea and The Netherlands, aggressive use of emergency alerts, sent directly to mobile phones, is keeping people in touch with changing advice.

But the UK government does not have the ability to do the same, The Guardian reported, despite carrying out successful trials seven years ago.