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Local leadership had up to that point largely demonstrated that they were under significant political pressure not to accept measures.

Now, there were exceptions to this.

For instance, the mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, not the mayor of the Liverpool

City region, who I know has been a witness, Joe Anderson, unfortunately, are no longer with us.

The unmistakable voice of the former health secretary, Matt Hancock at the COVID

inquiry, apparently mourning the late great Joe Anderson, mayor of Liverpool. The only problem being

that Mr Anderson is in fact still alive, he also resigned from his post in a corruption scandal,

but no matter. It's just a reminder that whatever his great virtues, Matt Hancock can be a bit weird.

He was also, however, briefly, one of the most important people in the country, one of the

faces of the pandemic, from the start to his own very particular end. This week, he's had the

biggest starring role at the COVID inquiry yet. On today's show, what Matt Hancock has said,

what he did, what he still might not be telling us. It's Lewis here. Welcome to the news agents.

The news agents. Right, later on in the show, we are going to have the latest in our extended

political sit-down interview series with Labour MP, Scourge of the far right, and indeed far left come to that, Dame Margaret Hodge.

But before we do, as promised, Matt, not quite King of the Jungle, Hancock at the COVID inquiry.

Before now, even before he turned up, Hancock has proved a kind of ghostly presence at the sessions.

Most roads, many, many witnesses somehow turning to, leading to the former health secretary,

a man whose own personal and political failings have been blamed by his colleagues for any

inadequacy in the government's overall response. None, you'll be

amazed to hear, had been more damning than Dominic Cummings. And was it around this time,

...