Also Read: UK health minister Matt Hancock resigns after breaking Covid rules with affair in office Throughout the pandemic, the UK government has been accused of scaremongering, but it has denied such allegations.
Hancock's department stated that the accusations were "misleading". The WhatsApp conversation between Hancock and his media adviser, Damon Poole, took place on 13 December 2020, two days after the emergence of the new variant, known as alpha or the Kent variant.
Poole suggested that the variant could be helpful in preparing the ground for a future lockdown and tougher restrictions in the run-up to Christmas.
Hancock responded: "We frighten the pants off everyone with the new strain." Poole agreed that this would lead to proper behaviour change.