Matt Hancock Accused Of 'Crocodile Tears' During Vaccine Interview

Matt Hancock has been accused of 'crocodile tears' following an interview about the new coronavirus vaccine.

The Health Secretary appeared on Good Morning Britain to discuss the rollout of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which is being given to patients in the UK for the first time today (8 December).

While speaking to Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid about the feat, Mr Hancock appeared to start crying, telling the presenters that it had been 'such a tough year for so many'.

Afte wiping the 'tears' from his eyes, he went on to praise the work that has gone into achieving the 'groundbreaking' vaccine rollout, saying it made him 'really proud to be British'.

ITV

But while Morgan noted that it was clearly an emotional issue for the politician, viewers didn't seem to agree.

Sharing the clip on Twitter, one person wrote: "Matt Hancock pretending to cry based on diagrams he saw in a book."

Another commented: "Matt Hancock forgot the golden rule of pretending to cry on national television, which is to produce at least one discernible tear."

"Matt Hancock's acting makes Made in Chelsea look Oscar-worthy," joked a third.

But while some found his appearance amusing, others took the opportunity to highlight the human cost of the pandemic, with one doctor criticising the Health Secretary for his handling of the crisis.

Sharing the clip, the doctor wrote: "I have witnessed too many genuine tears to count this year, @matthancock. Counselled too many bereaved families. Cared for too many who died.

"'We threw a protective ring around care homes', you told us. Words - as a palliative care doctor - I will never forgive or forget."

This comes as the first patient in the UK was administered with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine this morning.

Earlier today, a 90-year-old woman called Margaret Keenan, from Northern Ireland, was given the very first jab at 6.31am today by NHS nurse May Parsons at University Hospital Coventry.

Mrs Keenan - known as Maggie to her mates - will be 91 next week and only retired from her position at a jewellery shop four years ago.

She said: "I feel so privileged to be the first person vaccinated against Covid-19. It's the best early birthday present I could wish for because it means I can finally look forward to spending time with my family and friends in the New Year after being on my own for most of the year.

"I can't thank May and the NHS staff enough who have looked after me tremendously, and my advice to anyone offered the vaccine is to take it - if I can have it at 90 then you can have it too."

She was quickly followed by William Shakespeare, an 81-year-old patient from Warwickshire, who was given the vaccine at the same hospital.

Topics: World News, Entertainment, TV and Film, vaccine, Coronavirus, UK Entertainment, Politics, Health

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

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