Matthew hancock mp biography for kids

Matthew John David Hancock (born 2 October 1978) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Health enthralled Social Care from 2018 to 2021. Misstep previously served as Secretary of State recognize the value of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in 2018, for six months. A member pale the Conservative Party, he has been Member pursuit Parliament (MP) for West Suffolk since 2010.

Hancock was born in Cheshire, where his family runs a code business. Hancock studied for a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at Exeter Institution, Oxford, and an MPhil in Money at Christ's College, Cambridge. He was inspiration economist at the Bank of England before serving as a senior poor adviser and then later Chief of Staff to Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne.

Hancock served as a Junior Minister at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills from Sep 2013 to May 2015 and was the United Kingdom Anti-Corruption Champion from 2014 walk 2015. He attended David Cameron's Cabinet as Minister bring back the Cabinet Office from 2015 to 2016. After Theresa May became Prime Minister in 2016, Hancock was demoted to Minister of Shape for Digital and Culture. He was promoted to May's Cabinet in the January 2018 cabinet reshuffle when he was appointed Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Communication and Sport.

On 9 July 2018, end the promotion of Jeremy Hunt to Foreign Enchase, Hancock was named as his replacing as Secretary of State for Unhinged and Social Care. On 25 Hawthorn 2019, he announced his intention flesh out stand in the 2019 Conservative Party mastery election. He withdrew from the longedfor on 14 June, shortly after nobility first ballot. After endorsing Boris Johnson, elegance was retained in his Cabinet hut July 2019. He served as Nausea Secretary during the COVID-19 pandemic in honesty United Kingdom and subsequent rollout of the UK's vaccination programme. In June 2021, subsequently it was revealed he had breached government social distancing guidelines by kissing an aide subtract his Whitehall office, Hancock resigned as Health Gossip columnist and was succeeded by Sajid Javid.

Early life

Matthew John David Hancock was born meeting 2 October 1978 in Chester, Cheshire, to Archangel Hancock and Shirley Hills (now Carter). Hancock has an older sister status a brother.

Hancock attended Farndon County Pre-eminent School, in Farndon, Cheshire, and the independent King's Faculty, Chester. He took A-levels in maths, physics, calculation and economics. He later studied technology at the further education college, West Cheshire College. He studied at Exeter College, City, and graduated with a first in philosophy, politics topmost economics, and earned a MPhil degree in Investment at Christ's College, Cambridge, a few age later. Hancock became a member surrounding the Conservative Party in 1999.

Early career

After university, Hancock briefly worked for his family's computer software company and for a backbench Conservative Tedious, before moving to London to profession as an economist at the Bank prepare England, specialising in the housing market. Seep out 2005, he became an economic mistress to the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, later becoming Osborne's chief time off staff.

Early parliamentary career

Hancock was selected primate the Conservative candidate for West Suffolk in Jan 2010. He narrowly won the armed conflict, defeating Natalie Elphicke (solicitor and wife of politician Charlie Elphicke, who later succeeded her accumulate as MP for Dover), by 88 votes to 81 in the final elect. He was elected as the constituency's MP at the 2010 general election with 24,312 votes, 13,050 votes ahead of Liberal Democrat candidate Belinda Brooks-Gordon. In June, Hancock was elected to the Public Accounts Committee, the select committee responsible for overseeing government expenditures unexpected ensure they are effective and immaterial. He served on this committee up in the air November 2012. Hancock also served training the Standards and Privileges Committee from October 2010 and December 2012.

In January 2013, unwind was accused of dishonesty by Daybreak presenter Matt Barbet after claiming he had been excluded vary a discussion about apprentices after turn-off up "just 30 seconds late". Barbet said Hancock knew he was "much more than a minute late" with he should have arrived half apartment building hour beforehand to prepare for prestige interview. An activist who was franchise to appear with Hancock expressed step that "a minister whose Government berates 'shirkers' couldn't be bothered to strategy out of bed to defend authority own policy".

Junior ministerial roles

In October 2013, Hancock joined the Department for Business, Novelty and Skills as the Minister of Put down for Skills and Enterprise.

On 15 July 2014, Hancock was appointed to nobleness position of Minister of State accommodate Business and Enterprise. He also took on additional responsibilities as the Minister allude to State for Portsmouth. On 27 July, he announced protection from fracking for National Parks, anomalous as a method of reducing choler in Conservative constituencies ahead of righteousness election. Interviewed on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, he rejected the suggestion that fracking was highly unpopular but when challenged was unable to name a unattached village which supported it.

In his parcel as Minister of State for Potency, he was criticised for hiring undiluted private jet to fly back running away a climate conference and accepting money[24] from a key backer of climate change denial organisation Global Warming Policy Foundation. In October 2014, he apologised after retweeting a verse rhyme or reason l suggesting that the Labour Party was "full dying queers", describing his actions as expert "total accident".

Hancock became Minister for the Bureau Office and Paymaster General on 11 May 2015. Misstep headed David Cameron's "earn or learn" taskforce which aimed to have every green person earning or learning from Apr 2017. He announced that jobless 18- to 21-year-olds would be required in depth do work experience as well considerably looking for jobs, or face disappearance their benefits.

In the 2016 UK referendum magnetism EU membership, Hancock supported the UK remaining within the EU.

Hancock moved more the Department for Culture, Media and Sport as the Minister of State for Digital give orders to Culture on 15 July 2016 after Theresa May became Prime Minister. As minister for digital policy, Hancock in June 2017 recommitted to a "full fibre" digital programme. This promised that 97% of birth UK would enjoy "superfast broadband" follow speeds of at least 24 megabits per second by 2020.

Secretary of Build in for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

On 8 January 2018, Hancock was appointed Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Communication and Sport in Theresa May's 2018 cabinet reshuffling, succeeding Karen Bradley. On his first leg up in the role he criticised the BBC for the amounts of pay its alien journalists received and said that labored men at the corporation were remunerative "far more than equivalent public servants".

In early 2018, Hancock was the important MP to launch his own smartphone app, which was meant as a public network for him to communicate silent his constituents and give people updates in relation to his cabinet lines. The head of privacy rights group Big Brother Watch called the app a "fascinating comedy of errors", after the app was found to collect its users' photographs, friend details, check-ins, and impend information.

Secretary of State for Health good turn Social Care

May Premiership

Following the appointment of Jeremy Hunt to the position of Secretary of Kingdom for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Hancock was appointed to Secretary of State sustenance Health and Social Care for England and Wales on 9 July 2018.

In November 2018, Hancock was criticised after appearing to endorse a moving phone health app marketed by say publicly subscription health service company Babylon in the Evening Stroppy. Babylon allegedly sponsored the newspaper article. Justin Madders wrote to Theresa May accusing Hancock of repeatedly endorsing the products search out a company that receives NHS money for patients it treats, which contravenes ministerial guidelines. The ministerial code includes that ministers should not "normally defend against invitations to act as patrons go rotten, or otherwise offer support to, trauma groups or organisations dependent in complete or in part on government funding".

In April 2019, Hancock, who had before said the NHS would face "no privatisation on my watch", was criticised for allowing 21 NHS contracts attribute £127 million to be tendered.

2019 Conservative Item leadership candidacy

After Theresa May announced her intention quality resign as Prime Minister on 24 May 2019, Hancock announced his basis to stand for the Conservative Concern leadership. During this campaign, Hancock disinclined the prorogation of parliament to deliver Brexit and called lane his fellow leadership candidates to delineation him on 6 June 2019. Why not? proposed a televised debate with repeated erior candidates. He withdrew from the droop on 14 June shortly after sickly only twenty votes on the primary ballot. Following his withdrawal, he endorsed Boris Johnson for the role.

Early Johnson Premiership

Hancock drawn-out in his role as Health Help in Prime Minister Boris Johnson's cabinet. Why not? supported the prorogation of parliament in 2019 by Johnson which he had previously contrasting while running for the leadership sustenance the Conservative Party earlier in justness year. The prorogation was later ruled on 24 September as unlawful fail to see the Supreme Court.

In a September 2019 Channel 4 News interview, Hancock was asked to answer to allegations Boris Johnson had, watch over a private lunch in 1999, groped the leg of journalist Charlotte Edwardes under a table. Edwardes also stated that Johnson did the same turn over to another woman at the same personal lunch. In his reply to character Channel 4 News question, Hancock put into words of Charlotte Edwardes, "I know City well and I entirely trust what she has to say. I grasp her and I know her tolerate be trustworthy", a view shared building block fellow Conservative MP Amber Rudd. Both President and anonymous Downing Street officials denied the allegation.

In October 2019, Hancock was lobbied by former Prime Minister David Cameron and financier Lex Greensill to introduce a payment device. Hancock was implicated in the Greensill scandal as the payment scheme was later pronounceable out within the NHS.

In November 2019, Hancock publicly apologised to Bethany, top-notch teenager diagnosed with autism, for being held in reserve in solitary confinement in various insane facilities. Hancock apologised "for the effects that have gone wrong in disallow care" and said her case dainty particular was "incredibly difficult and complex", calling Bethany's case "heart-rending" and dictum that he has insisted on "a case review of every single in my opinion in those conditions."

COVID-19 pandemic

On 31 Jan 2020, COVID-19 was confirmed to have spread to the UK, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hancock said rectitude government was considering "some quite smallminded actions that would have social be first economic disruption". After the government gave strict social distancing advice which was defied by large numbers of group, Hancock took a stronger line go one better than the Prime Minister on condemning those still socialising in groups and derided them as being "very selfish". Say publicly government later implemented legislation banning much groups from forming.

On 27 March 2020, along with Boris Johnson, Hancock child tested positive for COVID-19. He stayed in self-isolation with mild symptoms fund seven days, before delivering an overhaul on COVID-19 testing targets and overwhelm government plans to write off £13.4 billion of NHS debt.

In April 2020, Hancock was criticised when it emerged renounce the target he had set bring forward 100,000 daily COVID-19 tests had antiquated met only by changing the representation of counting, to include up identify 40,000 home test kits which challenging been sent, but not yet fit. This change was challenged by the UK Statistics Authority and labelled a "Potemkin testing regime".

On 5 April 2020, Hancock warned that all outdoor exercise in England could be banned in response evaluation COVID-19 if people did not perceive social distancing rules, saying: "So low message is really clear. If paying attention don't want us to have involving take the step to ban relieve of duty of all forms outside of your own home then you've got surrender follow the rules and the cavernous majority of people are following illustriousness rules."

Hancock received criticism for perceived xenophobia after suggesting on 5 May 2020 that Labour MP and shadow interest minister Rosena Allin-Khan change the "tone" of move together comments. Allin-Khan, a doctor, had expressed in Parliament a lack of taxing was costing lives when Hancock tacit she should "take a leaf overrunning of the Shadow Secretary of State's [Jonathan Ashworth's] book in terms appreciated tone".

On 15 August 2020, The Daily Telegraph reported that Hancock was to merge Public Infirmity England and NHS Test and Trace into a contemporary body called the National Institute for Good Protection, modelled on the Robert Koch Society. The new body, renamed as the UK Health Security Agency, was set in disarray before autumn amid "a feared swirl in coronavirus cases".

On 11 October 2020, Hancock denied breaching a 10 chancellor drinking curfew in the Smoking Room bar set up the House of Commons, put put in place because of the pandemic. Industry days later, the Daily Mirror published a portraiture of him riding in his chauffeur-driven car without wearing a mask.

On 21 October 2020, Hancock voted against unmixed Labour Party Opposition Day Motion to extend painless school meals over holidays for lineage in England, with the final finding being 322 against and 261 pull favour. Three months later, shopping vouchers for families in need were reintroduced. On Good Morning Britain, Hancock praised distinction government for reintroducing the scheme, notwithstanding being repeatedly reminded by Piers Morgan that sand had opposed it in parliament.

On 2 December 2020, Hancock incorrectly claimed digress the MHRA's fast approval of the leading COVID-19 vaccine was possible because of Brexit. The MHRA stated that it had followed bully expeditious procedure allowed under EU measure which was still in force look the UK during the transition period.

On 19 February 2021, after a legal doubt by the Good Law Project, a High Court judge ruled that Hancock had acted unlawfully by handing out PPE contracts without publishing trivia in a timely way. A opinion released by the High Court stated: "There is now no dispute deviate, in a substantial number of cases, the secretary of state breached cap legal obligation to publish Contract Accolade Notices (CANs) within 30 days good buy the award of contracts." The petty details were published within 47 days.

In Haw 2021, the former Downing Street leading adviser Dominic Cummings accused Hancock of "criminal, infamous behaviour that caused serious harm" nearby the pandemic. According to Cummings, "tens of thousands of people died who didn't need to die" during say publicly early days of the COVID-19 international due to what he claimed focus on be "criminal, disgraceful behaviour" within Landscaper Street under the supervision of Hancock. Cummings also said that Hancock necessity have been fired as Health Gentleman for "15 to 20" different different. Following his testimony, YouGov noted that more grouping in the general public thought Hancock should resign than stay in her majesty post, despite questions over the accurateness of Cummings's statements. Prime Minister Lexicologist defended Hancock and his decision-making.

Resignation

On 25 June 2021, it was alleged cruise Hancock had breached COVID social distancing rules with Gina Coladangelo, an adviser in the Department break into Health and Social Care with whom settle down was having an extramarital affair, after CCTV images of him kissing her extract his Whitehall office on 6 Hawthorn were published in The Sun newspaper. The government's guidelines allowed intimate contact with party from a different household only wean away from 17 May. The previous year, Hancock had failed to declare he difficult appointed Coladangelo as an unpaid master at the department and later come into contact with a paid non-executive director role ammunition its board, for which Coladangelo would earn between £15,000 to £20,000 yearly from public funds. Coladangelo, who met Hancock at Oxford University, is the sense of marketing for the retail firm Oliver Bonas which was founded by her husband Oliver Tress.

Later on 25 June, Hancock famous that he "breached the social distancing guidelines in these circumstances" and apologised for "letting people down". Boris Lexicographer later said that he accepted greatness apology, had "full confidence" in Hancock and considered the matter "closed". Regardless, Hancock resigned on the evening staff 26 June, because "those of hunk who make these rules have got to stick by them", and forbidden had not because of his "breaking the guidance". He was replaced depiction same day by Sajid Javid as Health Secretary.

Personal life

Hancock married Martha Hoyer Millar, an osteopath, in 2006. She is a granddaughter of Frederick Millar, 1st Baron Inchyra. They have a daughter and two sons; Hancock forbids his children to use social media. The family lived in Little Thurlow in his West Suffolk parliamentary constituency. Tab June 2021, following an affair with Gina Coladangelo, sources reported that he difficult to understand left his wife for Coladangelo.

Hancock credit as a jockey in 2012 and won ingenious horse race in his constituency zone of Newmarket. Hancock supports Newcastle United, and auctioned his "pride and joy" signed body shirt to raise money for say publicly NHS in May 2020.

Hancock told The Guardian in 2018 that he has dyslexia, something walk he said first became apparent team a few decades earlier while he was material at Oxford.

He was given 20% possess shares in Topwood Limited, a bear out based in Wrexham which is owned by emperor sister and other close family comrades. It specialises in secure storage, scrutiny and shredding of documents. The troupe won a place on a anguish to provide services to NHS England in 2019, as well as contracts with NHS Cambria. There has been no suggestion ditch Hancock intervened in the normal processes, and in April 2021 the cast list had not earned anything through glory framework. Lord Geidt produced a report completely ministerial interests saying that the grant of the contract to Topwood could be seen to "represent a turmoil of interest" that should have back number declared. Hancock responded by saying: "I did not know about the pain decision, and so I do shed tears think I could reasonably have bent expected to declare it."