Matt Hancock’s epic career fail was so obvious, I can’t help feeling sorry for him

The former secretary of state is once again the laughing stock of Westminster, writes Marie Le Conte. Did he really think he could one day be prime minister?

Matt Hancock was never taken entirely seriously, a fellow MP nicknamed him Matty Moo Moos (PA)

I was going to start this column by comparing the arc of Matt Hancock’s career to a Greek tragedy, but it did not feel quite right. Instead, the past decade of the former secretary of state’s life can be best understood as one of those stupid YouTube videos.

You have definitely seen one of them; they usually involve a man setting out to do something idiotic – skateboarding down long a ramp, jumping from a roof that is too high – and very predictably injuring themselves as a result. You end up feeling a bit sorry for them, not because they hurt themselves, but because it was so obvious that things were going to end badly for them. Could they not see it? Did they not care? What is wrong with them?

In Matt Hancock’s case, the transparently poor decision took place in the summer of 2019 – but let’s take it from the beginning. Hancock was elected as a Conservative MP in 2010, having previously been chief of staff to George Osborne. He became minister for skills shortly after that, presumably due to his closeness with the chancellor.