Health Secretary Matt Hancock today lost his temper during an interview about the Government's lockdown exit strategy.
The outburst happened as Mr Hancock was being interviewed by Nick Robinson on BBC Radio 4's Today show.
Pressed on reports the Government has been mishandling the coronavirus crisis, Mr Hancock said: “How we communicate as a Government, as ministers, has a direct impact on the amount of cases that we have and therefore the amount of people who die...
"We have this core goal to make sure the NHS isn’t overwhelmed, which everybody a month ago was telling me it was impossible to achieve and that has been achieved thus far - that core messaging has a direct impact on how many people follow the guidelines…”
Mr Robinson then tried to interject with a further question, but Mr Hancock responded: "Let me, please! Let me finish the answer!"
The outburst did not go unnoticed as listeners took to Twitter to point it out.
One Twitter user wrote: “A bit ominous to listen to Matt Hancock lose his cool on Today this morning. Granted he was being interrupted but still not good and doesn't bode well post lockdown.”
Another said: “Sounds like Matt Hancock has had enough of Nick Robinson on Today. Will ministers refuse to come on the programme again?”
Diane Abbott, MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, also commented on the clash, saying: "So @MattHancock loses his temper on @BBCr4today just now. Maybe he is upset that all his misrepresentations are catching up with him."
“Because we have had a lot of deaths in care homes to date, in Scotland and the UK, and my fear is if we don’t get this right, there could be a lot more.
“And really the testing, it is good to say what he has said, but he did add when capacity allows and that’s my biggest concern.
“It is a huge task and the care home sector are facing a tsunami at the moment, a tsunami wave.”
Anita Astle, who owns and runs Wren Hall Nursing Home in Selston, Nottinghamshire, also believes sparse information about Covid-19 has left staff feeling ill-equipped to respond appropriately to the virus.
She told the the BBC’s Breakfast programme: “It’s emotionally and physically draining. People are frightened – they are leaving their own families to care for others and there is also a lack of information.
“So we don’t know what’s the right thing to do.”
Public Health England said it has given all care homes health advice about the symptoms of the virus and asked them to closely monitor residents, looking out for symptoms such as fever, cough or difficulty breathing.
