Pandemic Diaries: The inside story of Britain’s battle against Covid

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The diary is so enduring and broad in scope that it isn’t merely a report of parliamentary politics, but a social document on pretty much the entire Victorian era. Decide that I will begin writing a diary in 2022 so that I can keep some kind of contemporaneous notes. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Unlike Hancock, former Labour director of communications Alastair Campbell did actually keep contemporaneous journals during his time in the thick of politics. If you have an entire wall of shelving to spare, I recommend picking up the 13 volumes of William Gladstone’s diaries.

The diary style of the book is very good you picture yourself remembering where you were and what you were doing on that day. Photograph: House of Commons/PA Matt Hancock asks for forgiveness for breaking the rules, rather than seeking it for his handling of the pandemic.Having watched Matt in the jungle I admire him for both humbling himself in front of the nation on television and for his excellent team performance as a camp mate. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian ‘There are kernels of truth in here, some uncomfortable, about why politicians make the decisions they do. The Government ended up having to exempt some key workers from self-isolating to prevent the NHS and critical food supply chains from collapsing.

Irrelevant of what you think of Matt Hancock this is a fascinating insight into a lot of what went on behind the scenes during the pandemic. Knowing what is coming and what was going on behind the scenes keeps you gripped and wanting to read more. Matt Hancock and professor Witty really should be awarded for the hard work they put into trying to protect our country during the pandemic time. If you couldn’t bear watching him on I’m a Celebrity, I’m afraid this book may go down like a plate of sheep’s unmentionables.Hancock claims that Johnson’s former chief adviser Dominic Cummings viewed the pandemic as a “distraction” from other topics, including the UK’s exit from the EU. But a month later, on Nov 17 2020, Mr Hancock did receive some scientific advice in favour of loosening restrictions on self-isolation for people contacted by NHS Test and Trace. So, in the spirit of goodwill, here are a few alternative UK political diaries that are more worthy of your time. Since then, accelerated by the “professionalisation” of politics during the early 20th century, the pressure to hold politicians to account has grown significantly.

Chris Heaton-Harris, the government's Northern Ireland secretary, told BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg the messages give "almost a view into the psyche of Mr Hancock rather than into the actual decision-making". I walked into the Cabinet Room, where the PM was standing behind his chair with Rishi, Simon Case, and a few others dotted around.

Standing in my kitchen in Suffolk after a quiet New Year’s Eve, I scanned my newspaper for clues as to what might be lurking around the corner. Rather, Hancock claims there was “scandalous behaviour” by some care home operators who were using staff who had tested positive for coronavirus, saying there were at least 40 care homes where this was happening. 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.