But the emergence of the messages has caused waves across the United Kingdom and is being used to bolster claims the government, led by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, failed to stop the spread of the deadly virus.
Hancock has been accused by some of using fear as a tool of compliance at a time when the nation was put under tighter restrictions to limit the spread of the virus.
One of the discussions was had on December 13, 2020, when it was believed that London might follow the same path of Greater Manchester a few weeks prior and face heavy restrictions, leading up to an announcement on December 14 of a new COVID-19 strain, and finally the restrictions coming into effect all over England on January 6, 2021.
During the conversations, Cabinet Secretary Case talked about the importance of “the fear/guilt factor” if the spread of the virus was to be limited, sentiments Prime Minister Johnson later echoed when the measures to lock down the nation were announced.
