Matt Hancock: What’s the view of his West Suffolk constituents?

Matt Hancock lied about his dealing with of the pandemic and will have been fired, the prime minister’s former senior adviser Dominic Cummings has claimed. On Thursday, the well being secretary and West Suffolk MP bought his probability to reply to and reject the accusations. What do his constituents make of all of it?

Throughout an explosive seven-hour look earlier than a parliamentary committee “classes learnt” from the pandemic, Mr Cummings was scathing in regards to the authorities’s dealing with of it.

No one fared worse in Mr Cummings’ evaluation than Mr Hancock.

Particularly, Mr Cummings cited failings round care houses coverage, private protecting tools procurement and his public pledge on a testing goal which precipitated disruption in Whitehall.

Responding in Parliament earlier, Mr Hancock mentioned the allegations from Mr Cummings had been “not true”.

He mentioned he had been “straight with folks in private and non-private all through”, whereas Prime Minister Boris Johnson mentioned a number of the “commentary” did not “bear any relation to actuality”.

Mr Hancock’s West Suffolk constituency covers a inhabitants of about 81,000 and is a largely rural space together with the cities of Haverhill, Newmarket and Mildenhall. First elected its MP in 2010, Mr Hancock emerged from the 2019 common election with a 23,000 vote majority.

Because the fall-out over Mr Cummings’ remarks continues, what’s the view of Mr Hancock’s constituents in Newmarket?

“He is not been my favorite and he is not my option to vote for and that hasn’t modified in the course of the pandemic,” says stay-at-home mom Victoria Drake.

“It has been clearly a massively difficult time that no one has been by way of, it’s actually, actually sophisticated and I suppose there have been at all times going to be problems and issues which got here to gentle on the finish of it in the way in which that its been handled.

“However I’ve at all times had reservations about various things all through – the actual fact all the pieces took loads longer appeared to delay all the pieces at first.

“I am positive he did his greatest, or felt like he was doing his greatest. It is going to be fascinating to see what occurs after this week.”

David Graham, a steady lad in Newmarket, says: “I feel he is completed an all proper job, to be honest.

“It has been a tough time with all the pieces that is occurred with coronavirus so, sure, I’ve bought no drawback with him. I feel he is OK.”

Requested in regards to the claims from Mr Cummings, Mr Graham says: “Sure, however I feel he is completed properly below the circumstances.”

“Everyone seems to be pondering the identical, that no one trusts him in the intervening time,” says Diane Wilks.

She says she has seen him out and about within the constituency, including: “I noticed him opening the memorial park simply earlier than lockdown.”

“I do not actually see him round an excessive amount of besides at election time,” says chartered surveyor Mathew Hughes, “although that in all probability says extra about me than it does about him.

“I feel as well being secretary he is in all probability completed in addition to he may do. It was going to be tough for whoever bought it, it’s unprecedented.

“We have an inquiry subsequent 12 months and I count on all of it to come back out within the wash whether or not it’s all the claims being made or the larger image.

“It’s not nice to listen to these claims being made however I’m going to order judgement.”

Retired nursing dwelling employee Darmi Sarjono, of Beck Row, says: “Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock are completed. I’ve no good phrases for the federal government.

“They haven’t completed the job and have simply upset everyone.”

“I am probably not a fan of him due to his angle,” says Hazel Seppings, who works in grocery store retail. “I simply really feel he is a bit smug and I do not actually admire that.

“I feel as well being secretary try to be extra caring.”

She provides: “It didn’t really feel like the federal government was searching for us. We had been nonetheless working whereas everyone else was staying at dwelling. I feel they left grocery store staff to the businesses.”

“As a neighborhood MP, I feel he may definitely do extra for the broader group, possibly extra the native communities somewhat than the large cities,” says Michelle Mansell, an accountant.

“I feel he is been fairly good by way of the Covid instances from what I’ve seen. I feel anybody going by way of Covid it’s a powerful time for anyone.

“It was a troublesome time for folks.”

“I feel he is bought himself right into a little bit of a scrape in the intervening time,” says Peter Thorne, a retired cupboard maker.

Mr Thorne says he was not conscious Mr Hancock was his space’s MP.

Requested about Mr Hancock’s efficiency as well being secretary in the course of the pandemic, Mr Thorne says: “I feel it has been a case of the blind main the blind and he [Mr Hancock] has been the autumn man.”

He says he feels the federal government has “fallen far brief” however added he couldn’t consider another authorities that may do a greater job.

“I do not observe the politics too intently as a result of I discover it exasperating,” he says.

Final month Matt Hancock was campaigning for the native elections in Newmarket Excessive Road and, in response to a number of witnesses, he was mobbed.

“Folks wished to thank him for his or her vaccine, they had been so grateful, they mentioned it had given them hope,” one particular person informed me.

Throughout one of the best a part of an hour, I could not discover anybody within the city centre who felt he ought to resign as Well being Secretary. Loads of folks had been ready to confess that the federal government had made errors, however they felt that Mr Hancock had tried his hardest in tough circumstances.

Fairly a couple of felt that Dominic Cummings was settling outdated scores they usually all talked in regards to the success of the vaccination programme.

It is price noting that Mr Hancock could be very well-liked as a neighborhood MP, he elevated his majority to 23,000 and received 66% of the vote on the final election. It can at all times be exhausting to seek out critics in his constituency

However opinion polls and this month’s native election outcomes, the place the Conservatives did very properly within the East of England, counsel that many individuals have moved on and wish to take into consideration the longer term somewhat than what went flawed prior to now.

Subsequent 12 months there will likely be an unbiased public inquiry. That is perhaps when folks take extra of an curiosity in what went flawed and, maybe, re-assess their opinions.

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