In January 2023, reporters at the Telegraph are called into a meeting. The newspaper has got something big.

Matt Hancock’s Whatsapps from when he was the Health Secretary, during the pandemic: 100,000 messages. The reporters start digging.

Archive used in this episode from: The Sun, BBC, Channel 4, Sky News, Good Morning Britain, The Telegraph.

Read more about the Lockdown Files here: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/lockdown-files |

For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/lockdownfilespodcast |

If you have any information that could help the investigation, you can email the team on lockdownfiles@telegraph.co.uk |

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Investigations team looks back on the early days of the pandemic. How prepared was the government? Was lockdown inevitable? But they hit a stumbling block - they may have 100,000 messages, but there’s a gap in March.

So the team decide that if they can’t read where those key decisions were made, they’d do the next best thing: speak to people who were in the room where it happened

Archive used in this episode from: France Info, Sky News, BBC.

Read more about the Lockdown Files here: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/lockdown-files |

For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/lockdownfilespodcast |

If you have any information that could help the investigation, you can email the team on lockdownfiles@telegraph.co.uk |

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tens of thousands of care home residents died during the pandemic. Many people see it as the government’s biggest failure. Matt Hancock’s Whatsapp messages lifted the lid on conversations behind key decisions. But it wasn’t just the messages which were revealing… The team behind the Lockdown Files unearths new documents suggesting an unnerving offer made to care homes in Durham and Birmingham.

Archive used in this episode from: BBC, Sky News, ITV, The Telegraph.

Read more about the Lockdown Files here: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/lockdown-files |

For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/lockdownfilespodcast |

If you have any information that could help the investigation, you can email the team on lockdownfiles@telegraph.co.uk |

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.