By Tony O’Reilly-
Matt Hancock supported threatening to block a disability centre in a Tory MP’s constituency in a bid to get him to vote for the Covid tier system in England, leaked messages suggest.
WhatsApp messages show Mr Hancock agreed to put pressure on James Daly, Conservative MP for Bury North, if he failed to vote with the government.
The former health secretary has been in the spotlight lately, over leaked messages that expose a series of misconduct during lockdown.
Mr Hancock’s spokesperson said: “What has been accused here never happened.”
Mr Daly said he was “very disappointed” to learn about the exchange.
However, speaking to BBC Radio Manchester, he said the threat was not carried out.
Asked how he would have responded if such a conversation had taken place, the MP said: “I would have told him where to go, and reported matters to a higher authority.
“To think somebody would use potential funding that could help someone vulnerable in our community to get votes for the government is just not acceptable.”
Ex-Conservative Party chair Sir Jake Berry accused Mr Hancock of “weaponising the provision of care to young disabled people” and said it “crosses a line of what’s acceptable in public life”.
Mr Nixon proposed warning Mr Daly that funding for a new centre for disabled children and adults in his constituency would be “off the table” if he voted against new plans for a stricter tiered lockdown on 1 December 2020.
Mr Hancock replied: “Yes 100%.”
Mr Daly told the Telegraph he was unaware the Department for Health and Social Care had plans to give Bury North a disability hub, which would provide specialists with a dedicated centre for co-ordinating local activity.
Under the December 2020 tier scheme, every area of England was put into one of three tiers – medium (one), high (two) and very high (three) – with the vast majority of the population in the higher two tiers.
Mr Daly was more concerned with support for pubs in areas placed in the higher tiers because they were unable to serve food.
Under the system, bars in tier two were only allowed to stay open if they served “substantial meals”, while those in tier three could only provide takeaways or deliveries.
Fifty-five Conservatives voted against the plan – the largest rebellion of then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s time in No 10.
A spokesperson for Mr Hancock said the message exchange was an “entirely partial account”.
“The missing context here is vitally important because this vote was critical for saving lives,” the spokesperson added.
“What’s being accused here never happened, demonstrating the story is wrong, and showing why such a biased, partial approach to the evidence is a bad mistake, driven by those with a vested interest and an axe to grind.
“The right place to consider everything about the pandemic objectively is in the public inquiry.”