Covid inquiry chair refutes journalist’s fear of ‘colossal whitewash’

Heather Hallett hits back at scepticism that Isabel Oakeshott says led her to share Matt Hancock messages

The Covid-19 public inquiry’s chair has insisted their investigation will not be a “whitewash”, after a journalist claimed that concern over the inquiry’s integrity prompted her to publish private messages shared with her by Matt Hancock.

Isabel Oakeshott leaked 100,000 WhatsApp messages involving the former health secretary from the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, which are claimed to show he dismissed expert advice to test anyone entering a care home for coronavirus.