DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Hancock's shame over Covid deaths...as inquiry report should haunt him for the rest of his days

Published: 19:59 EDT, 20 October 2026 | Updated: 20:38 EDT, 20 October 2026 With Covid running riot across Britain almost six-and-a-half years ago, Matt Hancock insisted a 'protective ring' had been thrown around our care homes.If his soothing noises sounded unconvincing at the time, they proved even less so as death tally increased. Now the official inquiry into the crisis has found that Mr Hancock's grandiose claims could hardly be further from the truth.The report by Baroness Heather Hallett is littered with words and phrases that should haunt the former health secretary for the rest of his days. Initial failures created environments 'in which the virus could spread like wildfire', it says.Other damning conclusions point to care homes receiving 'insufficient protection at a time when they most needed it'. The report also notes one civil servant's description of the impact as 'generational slaughter' and, with more than 43,000 deaths recorded between March 2020 and July 2022, it is difficult to disagree.Transferring vast numbers of hospital patients to care homes was an act of almost unimaginable irresponsibility. That there was a woeful shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for care workers – so much so that some had to use painters' overalls and waterproof ponchos intended for festival-goers – only compounded the recklessness of it all. In some respects, the combined effect was to almost turn the entire care system into a petri-dish of infection. If Matt Hancock's soothing noises sounded unconvincing at the time, they proved even less so as death tally increased. Now the official inquiry into the crisis has found that his grandiose claims could hardly be further from the truthBut it didn't stop there. The decision to prevent visits to care homes was a particularly cruel twist, especially for dementia sufferers and their families. It caused, according to the findings, 'incalculable harm'.Running into hundreds of millions, the cost of the Covid inquiry has been not inconsiderable. But it would be impossible to exaggerate the human price of Mr Hancock's cavalier actions, both in terms of lives lost and the emotional toll on loved ones left behind.Military mattersAnother day, another dispiriting reminder of Labour's flagrant disregard for our Armed Forces.It would be bad enough at any time for eight more Navy warships to be destined for the scrapyard. But given their role in protecting against Russian aggression amid the growing threat from the Putin regime, it is a far more damaging blow.Yet it comes as plans are announced to send RAF Typhoon jets to defend Saudi Arabia against Houthi rebels. This will almost certainly be seen as an attempt to make Britain appear as still relevant from a fighting point of view.But if Andy Burnham thinks this will fool anyone, he is mistaken. Until he starts investing in our defences, Britain's once-proud military reputation will limp along like a wounded soldier.PM's poor timingThe Prime Minister could hardly have a picked a worse time to be angling for a return to Brussels' clammy embrace.As France is torn asunder by violent protests, the government in Paris admits police have lost control. The German political establishment is struggling with a stagnant economy and increasing support for the far-Right AfD party.So when Kemi Badenoch observes that 'we need to stop the pretending the EU is the answer to every single problem', even the most ardent Europhile might be tempted to agree with her.But is Mr Burnham man enough to admit that she has a point? We won't hold our breath.