UK Lockdown Files: Health Minister Wanted to 'Frighten' Britons into Compliance

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The Facts

  • Former UK health minister Matt Hancock suggested to an aide that they "frighten the pants off everyone" about COVID to ensure compliance with government restrictions, leaked text messages published in the Telegraph revealed over the weekend.

  • The message came in December 2020 when the government feared backlash to its plan to reverse a policy that would have relaxed the rules over the Christmas period. The aide suggested to Hancock: "Rather than doing too much forward signaling, we can roll pitch with the new strain."


The Spin

Left narrative

While the public is right to demand answers to questions on whether the government acted appropriately during the COVID pandemic, the leak of these messages leads to a one-sided inquisition by those that were against lockdowns. What we need is an independent inquiry that can tackle these questions accurately and fairly, with proper public health context in mind.

Right narrative

What we see from the release of these text messages is that the government was consciously using irrational fear as a tool to make the public compliant with its COVID policies. Knowingly crippling the psyches of Britons for the sole purpose of retaining a public policy is inexcusable. Where were the ministerial voices of caution throughout this disastrous public health experiment?


Political split

LEFT

RIGHT

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