Two weeks after Dominic Cummings told MPs that the health secretary was a serial liar who lost the trust of No 10, Matt Hancock will face the same committee to defend himself. Heather Stewart explains what is at stake, and what it could mean for the next stage of the pandemic
When Dominic Cummings appeared before MPs to set out his account of what went wrong in the early stages of the Covid pandemic, he attempted a political assassination. But a fortnight later, Matt Hancock, the health secretary, is still limping on. So far, Hancock has been able to bat away questions from journalists, and at the dispatch box, without much trouble, and has retained the support of the prime minister. But a grilling by MPs, who will have much more time and the chance to follow up on their questions, will present him with a far greater challenge.
Hancock’s day of reckoning comes with the 21 June planned unlocking still uncertain, and the number of cases rising again, so his future will have profound consequences for the country. Rachel Humphreys spoke to the Guardian’s political editor, Heather Stewart, about the questions he is likely to face, the light his answers could shed on what went wrong, and why Boris Johnson appears determined to stick with his man — for now.
