Nikolay Kalinin on whether Matt Hancock can survive as a politician
The last month has been pure torture for Matt Hancock, as the former Health Secretary has been ridiculed by practically everyone in the country, lost a job that allowed him to give contracts to his family members, and also left his wife for his aide with whom he was caught breaking social distancing guidelines. However, soon, for him, things might actually get even worse.
Hancock now faces challenges from politicians in his own constituency after the Newmarket Town Council passed a vote of no confidence which stated that he “neglected the best interests of his constituents” and accused him of “hypocrisy.”
Five councillors voted for the motion, while another five voted against and another five abstained. Newmarket mayor Michael Jeffrys, a member of the Labour Party, used his casting vote to pass the motion. No Conservative councillor voted for the motion.
The West Suffolk Conservative Association responded to the news by pointing out: “Even the Labour/Independent-controlled local town council couldn’t find a majority against Matt Hancock,” while reiterating their support for the former health secretary.
Meanwhile, independent councillor Douglas Hall stated that he would rather not have been presented with the vote, but also stated that there’s a “level of annoyance with his breaking his own rules,” including his alleged use of his private email address which prevented the government from having a record of Hancock’s decision-making during the pandemic.
At this point, it’s hard to see how Hancock’s career can continue beyond 2024, because most likely the people will never forget the damage that he and the British government inflicted on them during the pandemic, meaning that there’s a chance he might lose his West Suffolk seat.
Still, we have to remember that Boris Johnson is in charge of the Conservatives, and once the pandemic settles down, he might bring Hancock back for another job, because he and the party clearly believe that the British public has short-term memory.
We also have to remind ourselves that the majority of the print media is right-wing, and once things return to semi-normal, they will go back to worshipping the Conservatives shrine, further increasing Hancock’s chances of staying in politics.
