01 March 2023 , 15:30
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Jane Moore disagreed with her Loose Women co-stars Coleen Nolan, Linda Robson and Kéllé Bryan as the panel discussed whether Matt Hancock's WhatsApp messages referring to the handling of the Covid pandemic should have been leaked.
The former health secretary has come under scrutiny after journalist and ghost writer Isabel Oakeshott, who worked with Hancock on his Pandemic Diaries memoir, leaked the messages to the Daily Telegraph.
The messages suggest the former health secretary was told in April 2020 there should be "testing of all going into care homes".
Coleen spoke about her experience with a ghost writer and argued: "It's a really difficult one because obviously we did need to know the truth, somebody needs to tell the truth for once, but I felt really uneasy that someone [he] trusted [leaked the messages]."
Jane clashed with Coleen over the importance of leaking the messages (ITV)"In a world well it's hard to trust people it's just another example of, 'Who do you trust? Who can you tell anything to and they won't go to a newspaper or sell it?'" Coleen added.
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Interjecting, Jane asked: "Do you think there's a difference though between your situation, because if you're telling somebody things about your private life that's one thing but there's an argument here surely that it's in the national interest?"
However, Linda agreed with Coleen and felt Hancock's ghost writer should not have betrayed his trust before questioning whether Jane would do the same thing if she was tasked with writing her memoir.
Coleen, Linda and Kelle all agreed that messages obtained by a ghost writer should not be leaked (ITV)The Loose Women presenter doubled down on her argument and exclaimed: "You're not in the public interest!"
Kéllé also joined in the debate and suggested the debate was a question of "integrity" while Jane argued Isabel may have been concerned the Covid inquiry was "taking too long".
A spokesperson for Mr Hancock said: "It is outrageous that this distorted account of the pandemic is being pushed with partial leaks, spun to fit an anti-lockdown agenda, which would have cost hundreds of thousands of lives if followed. What the messages do show is a lot of people working hard to save lives."