Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Ouch! Have I Got News for You’s brutal joke about Hancock WhatsApp ‘betrayal’

Former health secretary had called the leak a ‘massive betrayal’

Ellie Harrison
Friday 03 March 2023 03:02 EST
Comments
Rishi Sunak backs official Covid inquiry after Matt Hancock WhatsApp leaks

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The joke writers at Have I Got News for You have shared a brutal dig following the publishing of Matt Hancock’s WhatsApp messages.

On Thursday (2 March), the former health secretary broke his silence after messages were leaked to the Daily Telegraph by Isabel Oakeshott, the journalist who helped him write his pandemic memoir.

Hancock stated that he was “hugely disappointed” by what he said was a “massive betrayal and breach of trust”.

A post on the official Twitter account of the BBC comedy show Have I Got News for You on Thursday took aim at Hancock over the scandal.

“As Matt Hancock describes leaking of text messages as ‘a massive betrayal’, his ex-wife says she knows the feeling,” the post read.

In summer 2021, just before he resigned as health secretary, Hancock left his wife of 15 years, Martha Hancock, for Gina Coladangelo, the aide he was pictured kissing at work in a breach of his own social distancing guidelines.

Hancock and his wife had been married since 2006 and have three children together.

Matt and Martha Hancock
Matt and Martha Hancock (Getty)

Coladangelo was also married when her affair with Hancock began – to Oliver Tress, founder of Oliver Bonas.

Hancock previously said that telling his wife about his affair was the worst conversation of his life.

One of the most shocking revelations to come out of the WhatsApp leak to date is an exchange between Hancock and former education secretary Gavin Williamson, who wrote to his fellow Tory minister that teachers “really really do just hate work”. Read more here.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in