Hancock is a “successful genius”, Rees-Mogg insists

Jacob Rees-Mogg labelled Matt Hancock a “successful genius” after texts revealed on Wednesday suggested the prime minister thought he was “totally f*cking hopeless”.

Dominic Cummings published messages from Boris Johnson right before this week’s Prime Minister’s Questions, causing quite a stir as the PM was trapped in the Chamber.

The texts from the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic show the prime minister called PPE a disaster and was considering replacing Matt Hancock with Michael Gove.

Speaking in the House of Commons yesterday, Rees-Mogg said: “The prime minister was a world leader at the G7 with an amazing list of successes to his name from that billion vaccine doses next year for developing countries.

“The vaccine that will mainly go out will of course be the Oxford vaccine.

“Why? Because the Oxford vaccine is being done at cost price, because of a deal so successfully done by my right honourable friend the secretary of state for health and social care, the brilliant, the one and only successful genius who has been running health over the last 15 months, and he has done so much to make not only the country, but the world, safer.”

Twitter was quick to react to the passionate speech.

Simon Gosden said: “Jacob Rees-Mogg pays tribute to Matt Hancock…

“And they say there’s no such thing as right wing comedy.”

Reactions

Another person said: “A genius!!!!!! That makes Johnson look very bad if that’s the case. Who wrote this comedy script?”

“After Jacob Rees-Mogg hails Matt Hancock as a ‘successful genius’, Oxford Dictionary publishers call urgent crisis meeting,” another tweet read.

Roger Quimbly joked: “Matt Hancock is a successful genius in the same way that Donald Trump was a stable one.”

“Does he think he is the compere of some crappy variety show or something?,” another user asked.

Another chipped in: “Well, well, well. There is Hancock’s mum and this d*ck on one side, and the rest of us on the other.”

“He sounds like he’s introducing some dodgy act on a tv talent show. Amazing,” Stuart Hobson said.

Effie Stevenson is now wondering how Hancock will be described today.

“Hancock, from “useless” to “genius” in just 24 hours. What will he be by tmr? Clueless & world beating,” Effie said.

“Is it something they teach at Eton? To be so blinkered as to agree with/support one of their ‘team’ no matter what the truth or consequence?,” someone else asked.

Cummings publishes WhatsApps from Boris as PM heads to Commons for PMQs

Andra Maciuca

Andra is a multilingual, award-winning NQJ senior journalist and the UK’s first Romanian representing co-nationals in Britain and reporting on EU citizens for national news. She is interested in UK, EU and Eastern European affairs, EU citizens in the UK, British citizens in the EU, environmental reporting, ethical consumerism and corporate social responsibility. She has contributed articles to VICE, Ethical Consumer and The New European and likes writing poetry, singing, songwriting and playing instruments. She studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield and has a Masters in International Business and Management from the University of Manchester. Follow her on: