During the course of the pandemic Matt Hancock's reputation has turned increasingly sour. Back in the spring he was known for being one of the most tireless and reassuring members of the government, earning the nickname 'Duracell bunny' from one Sky News correspondent. In recent weeks he has shown himself to be shameless and manipulative, verging on the sociopathic.
Hancock's appearance on Good Morning Britain yesterday will take some beating. In trying to display sorrow he actually ends up smirking and laughing, suggesting that he is not only incapable of grief, but finds the concept amusing. This is one of the hallmarks of a sociopath. Click below to watch.
This was even worse than his attempt to convey grief during the recent lockdown debate, when he informed the house that his 'step-grandfather' had died of coronavirus. Exploiting the death of a relative or even a 'step-relative' as a means of emotional blackmail in a political debate is highly manipulative and again shows his sociopathic side.
His excitable outburst halfway through a Sky News interview last week is also troubling and suggests a lack of empathy with both people who have lost loved ones and those who continue to suffer as a result of his government's lockdown measures. The end is not in sight and he knows it, which makes his smirking and gesticulation all the more sinister.
While all these examples are painful to watch, perhaps his most creepiest performance actually took place prior to the pandemic. Appearing outside a hospital a year ago he sidles up to an attractive female party activist while a suspicious bulge forms in his trousers. When she waves her hand to the side she almost touches the bulge and she leans back awkwardly as he continues to leer at her.
While it's incredibly worrying to have such individuals making key decisions, perhaps even a dangerous sociopath is better than the alternative - Hancock's bumbling, yellow-bellied, back-stabbing opposite number Jonathan Ashworth.
