By Ben Kerrigan-
A demand by Labour’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner for an inquiry into allegations of contempt by Matt Hancock must be explored, to ensure accountability.
Rayner (pictured) wrote to Boris Johnson’s ethics adviser Christopher Geidt asking him to open an inquiry into what she claimed was an instance of “contempt” of the rules on ministers’ conduct.
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Ms Rayner says Mr Hancock “repeatedly endorsed” Babylon Healthcare publicly without declaring that one of the firm’s investors had given £200,000 to the Tories, while another gave £10,000 to his campaign for the Tory leadership in 2019. The claim adds to pre-existing questions to Mr.Hancock’s integrity after Dominic Cummings accused the Health Secretary of being a liar who should have been sacked 15-20 times.
Cummings later revealed whassap messages showing the prime minister described him as hopeless, a position not denied by Nhs boss Simon Stevens when asked by a sky reporter last week whether he agreed with the allegation. Stevens refused to say whether he had confidence in Mr,Hancock. Boris Johnson himself added fuel to all the allegations a couple of days ago when he told the queen Mr.Hancock is ”full of beans” when interjecting as the Monarch was about to use an adjective to describe the Health Secretary.
On top of that, the news that Mr.Hancock withheld for three days crucial documents revealing the success of the vaccine against the delta variants, weakens his integrity and credibility so much that a broader inquiry is imperative to restore faith in him.
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The latest revelations about Hancock has increased pessimism about his abilities and intensions even as he attempts to get on with his job. A long discussion among professionals from The Eye Of Media.Com’s thinktank on Wednesday expressed serious concerns about the professional credibility of Mr.Hancock and the British government in the wake of all the allegations of the past few weeks. 
Integrity In Question: Matt Hancock Image: Sky news.com
Ms Rayner said that the health secretary had appointed a third Babylon shareholder as a government adviser in 2018. The call for an inquiry adds pressure to Downing Street to be transparent in investigating the integrity of the Health Secretary. Endorsing an organization without declaring the receipt of huge funds from them is corrupt.
Ms Rayner wrote: “Shortly after he became health secretary, Mr Hancock said that he himself used Babylon’s products and wanted to ‘see [Babylon’s GP at Hand app] available to all’.
“The health secretary also attended an event to mark Babylon receiving a $100m investment in a clear endorsement of the company, and again endorsed Babylon’s services in a paid-for sponsored advertorial supplement in a newspaper.
She asked: “Why has the health secretary been hawking the wares of a private healthcare company without declaring that the firm’s shareholders have made significant donations both to the Conservative party and to himself personally when promoting this company?” Mr Hancock was last month found by Lord Geidt to have breached the ministerial code in relation to his 20 per cent holding in a company owned by his sister which won NHS contracts.
Ms Rayner said: “Yet again, the health secretary has shown his contempt for the rules and made a mockery of the ministerial code system.
“His job is protecting and standing up for the National Health Service, not shilling for private healthcare companies that bankroll his leadership campaign and fill Conservative party coffers with cash.”
A company spokesman said that its GP at Hand service launched in 2017 had attracted more than 100,000 members, which the company says makes it “the largest GP practice in the country” with a 95 per cent satisfaction rating and an ‘outstanding rating for leadership from the Care Quality Commission.
“This has naturally attracted support and interest from a wide variety of individuals, public bodies and leading thinkers from the scientific and medical community across the globe who want to better understand the transformative potential of our model to improve the accessibility and affordability of healthcare for all,” said the spokesperson.
“We are proud of our work with the NHS, but it is just one element of our work. Babylon is a global service that covers 24 million people across the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa and Asia.”
She asked: “Why has the health secretary been hawking the wares of a private healthcare company without declaring that the firm’s shareholders have made significant donations both to the Conservative party and to himself personally when promoting this company?” Mr Hancock was last month found by Lord Geidt to have breached the ministerial code in relation to his 20 per cent holding in a company owned by his sister which won NHS contracts.
Ms Rayner said: “Yet again, the health secretary has shown his contempt for the rules and made a mockery of the ministerial code system.
“His job is protecting and standing up for the National Health Service, not shilling for private healthcare companies that bankroll his leadership campaign and fill Conservative party coffers with cash.”
It is understood that Babylon itself has not made donations to any politician or party.
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