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Health Secretary Matt Hancock has denied claims that he broke the government coronavirus curfew by continuing to consume alcohol at the Commons bar after 10 p.m.
A senior Conservative MP told the Mail on Sunday that Hancock remained in the Smoking Room bar until at least 10:25 p.m. Monday, despite House Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle insisting that the Commons must respect the same curfew as all English pubs.
The newspaper also reported that Mr. Hancock came to the bar just before the 9.40pm vote, ordered a glass of white wine and joked: “The drinks are mine, but Public Health England is in charge of the payment methodology as well. I won’t pay anything. “
Hancock’s alleged referral to Public Health England came after he addressed the Commons about the controversy over the organization misplacing nearly 16,000 coronavirus test results.
The spokesperson for the health secretary insisted that the minister had not violated the curfew rules.
He said: “The proposed schedule of events is false and no rules have been broken.
“The secretary of state was in the smoking room before the vote that night. The secretary of state left the smoking room to vote. The vote took place at 9:42 p.m.
“The secretary of state then left parliamentary property to go home.”
However, a government source told the Palestinian Authority news agency that Hancock had made the joke as reported.
The accusations come at a very delicate time for the government as mayors of the north of England. they have expressed opposition to the moves expected next week to shut down parts of the hospitality sector, such as pubs.
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When asked about reports that Hancock had been excluded from some high-level meetings on the coronavirus outbreak, a government spokesman said the claims were “totally false.”
England’s deputy chief medical officer has said the country has reached a turning point similar to the first wave of coronavirus, but still in a position to prevent history from repeating itself.
It comes as the UK reported another 15,166 coronavirus cases and 81 more deaths in Saturday’s daily update.
The figures marked a rise from 1,302 cases in Friday’s daily figures, when 87 deaths were reported, and it means the UK has now recorded 42,760 coronavirus-related deaths.
