The Lockdown Files

Perhaps it should first be pointed out that the Lockdown Files are not, strictly speaking, a leak in the traditional sense of the term. Britain’s former Covid-era Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, decided to write a self-exculpatory memoir of his time in the spotlight, and—not himself naturally gifted with literary prowess—he sought an experienced collaborator to help him.

Enter Isabel Oakeshott, a political journalist with several scoops to her name who has co-written or ghost-written half the political books of the past decade (or so it often feels). To help her gain a better understanding of events as she co-wrote his book, Hancock handed over a WhatsApp archive of relevant messages between him, fellow ministers and government officials. (The book, Pandemic Diaries: The Inside Story of Britain’s Battle Against Covid, has rather satisfyingly proved a total flop when it comes to sales.) Oakeshott, eventually, decided to share them with the press as information worthy of…