Hancock Is ‘Fiddling Test Figures'

Watchdog slams Covid-19 stats in ‘damning’ report

- Martin Bagot

Matt Hancock has been criticised by Britain’s statistics watchdog for fudging coronavirus test figures.

The damning verdict was delivered in an open letter to the Health Secretary days after the launch of the NHS Test and Trace system.

It followed criticism that a series of targets have been hit through manipulating when tests are recorded.

The UK Statistics Authority said information is being published to show “the largest possible number of tests, even at the expense of understanding”.

The Government has stopped publishing daily figures on the number of patients tested, reportedly citing “technical difficulties”. Latest daily data showed 135,600 tests carried out.

An unknown number have to be carried out on the same person twice due to inconclusive results.

But ministers boast about a theoretical testing “capacity” of 200,000.

The Government has not come close to actually carrying out this number, blaming lack of demand.

Yet care homes say it is not getting them to the people who need them.