Matt Hancock ‘rejected expert advice on Covid testing for care homes’

The Metro says Matt Hancock rejected advice to test all residents going into English care homes for coronavirus at the start of the pandemic, a leaked trove of more than 100,000 WhatsApps allegedly shows.

Chief medical officer Professor Sir Chris Whitty told the former health secretary there should be testing for ‘all going into care homes’, according to an investigation by the Daily Telegraph.

But the leaked messages suggest he rejected the guidance, telling an aide the move just ‘muddies the waters’, and introduced mandatory testing for those coming from hospitals.

Mr Hancock also expressed concerns that expanding care home testing could ‘get in the way’ of the target of 100,000 daily coronavirus tests he was desperate to hit, the investigation said.