Former health secretary Matt Hancock has reportedly been approached by publisher HarperCollins about writing a book detailing his “heroic” role in the Covid pandemic.
The shamed ex-Cabinet minister is said to be considering a £100,000 deal on the book, which is expected to be called ‘How I Won the Covid War’.
Mr Hancock last night told the Daily Mail: “I have been approached to write a book, but no decisions have been made.”
It’s reported the book will give Mr Hancock the chance to dispute claims that he was to blame for key blunders in the pandemic, and also hit out at former No 10 aide Dominic Cummings, who accused him of incompetence.
He will elaborate on the claim that Mr Cummings’ ‘destructive antics’ delayed the vaccine breakthrough, and also take aim at EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen over Covid jab rows.
A well-placed source told the Mail: “Matt paints a picture of a man burning the midnight oil night after night, staying cool under fire, saving the NHS and rising above petty Downing Street squabbles.
“If you believe the book, the vaccine is all down to him for backing it against all odds, treating anti-vaxxers with contempt and winning over a sceptical public.”
Mr Hancock also may reportedly “go out of his way to be flattering’ about Mr Johnson in the book, which some say is a clear sign that he is determined to win back his seat at the Cabinet table.
Mr Hancock’s handling of the Covid pandemic has come under scrutiny in the past, most notably after he claimed to have thrown a “protective ring” around care homes, only for Covid to rip through care homes after many elderly people were discharged from hospitals to free up beds.
This resulted in thousands of people dying.
He was at one stage branded ‘f***ing hopeless’ by the Prime Minister, while on another occasion he absurdly denied a scarcity of PPE “led to anyone dying” on the Covid frontline.
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