Pandemic Diaries

When Covid-19 swept the world, governments scrambled to protect their citizens and chart a course back to normality. As Health Secretary, Matt Hancock was at the forefront of Britain's battle against the virus, trying to steer the country through the crisis in a world where information was scarce, judgements huge and the roadmap non-existent. Drawing on a wealth of never-before-seen material, including official records, his notes at the time and communications with all the key players in Britain's Covid-19 story, this candid account reveals the inner workings of government during a time of national crisis, reflecting on both the successes and the failures. Recounting the most important decisions in the race to develop a vaccine in record time and to build a nationwide testing capacity from the ground up, Pandemic Diaries provides the definitive account of Britain's battle to turn the tide against Covid-19. Crucially, it also offers an honest assessment of the lessons we need to learn to be prepared for next time - because there will be a next time.

Matt Hancock is the Conservative MP for West Suffolk. In 2011 he published Masters of Nothing with Nadhim Zahawi. He served in government from 2012 in various roles including Minister for Skills, for Business and as Culture Secretary. When first appointed to attend Cabinet by David Cameron in 2014, he became the third youngest person to do so since the war, after Harold Wilson and William Hague. From 2018 to 2021, he was the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, during which time he led the UK government's response to the pandemic. He holds degrees from Oxford and Cambridge Universities, and before entering politics he worked for his family's computer software business and as an economist at the Bank of England. At Newmarket in 2012 he became the first sitting MP in a century to win a horse race, and in 2005 he broke the world record for the most northerly game of cricket before succumbing to frostbite. He retains all his fingers.