{"id":166066,"date":"2021-05-16T11:55:50","date_gmt":"2021-05-16T11:55:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecanary.co\/?p=1430072"},"modified":"2021-05-16T11:55:50","modified_gmt":"2021-05-16T11:55:50","slug":"matt-hancock-just-weaselled-his-way-through-sunday-tv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2021\/05\/16\/matt-hancock-just-weaselled-his-way-through-sunday-tv\/","title":{"rendered":"Matt Hancock just weaselled his way through Sunday TV"},"content":{"rendered":"

Health secretary Matt Hancock did the morning TV rounds on Sunday 16 May. And like the good Tory minister he is, he weaselled his way through most of it.<\/p>\n

Hancock’s Half Hour<\/h5>\n

First up, and Hancock was on Sophy Ridge on Sunday<\/em>. People are becoming worried about the so-called ‘Indian variant’ of coronavirus (Covid-19). SAGE has warned<\/a> the variant may be 50% more transmissible than the Kent strain. But the government is still planning on easing lockdown restrictions further on Monday 17 May. So, Ridge put this to Hancock. His response was effectively to shrug his shoulders. Hancock said of the situation:<\/p>\n

The thing is, though, Sophy, and I know that you get this; it’s often quite hard to communicate<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Clearly, us plebs don’t understand the pandemic in the way Ridge does, then?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

Matt Hancock just saying the tories are putting our health in the balance of risk \"?\"<\/p>\n

Then said \u2019I know you understand\u2019 but it\u2019s hard to communicate this message, so now we\u2019re too stupid to understand big words\"?\"#JohnsonVariant<\/a> #BBCBreakfast<\/a> #marr<\/a> #ridge<\/a> #ToryCovidCatastrophe<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/TFmJFaiWlz<\/a><\/p>\n

— kerry \"\u270a\"\"?\" (@hewitson10) May 16, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n