More revealing Matt Hancock messages dropped late last night as the Telegraph released another tranche of the former health secretary’s WhatsApps. Here are some of the stand-out lines on day two of the lockdown files:

1. Hancock mounted a ‘rearguard action’ to close schools

Matt Hancock said that then education secretary Gavin Williamson (who was ‘going absolutely gangbusters’ to keep schools open) was risking a ‘policy crash when the kids spread the disease’ in January 2021. Hancock said that ‘we must now fight a rearguard action for a rational policy’. Williamson has written a column for the Telegraph saying that he was ‘battling’ to keep schools open, and that he thought ‘long and deeply’ about resigning.

2. Teachers ‘really really do just hate work’, said Williamson

Ministers accused teachers’ unions of being work-shy, with Hancock saying they were a ‘bunch of absolute arses’ and Williamson saying they ‘really really do just hate work’. The then education secretary also said that teachers wanted ‘an excuse to avoid having to teach’.

3. Nicola Sturgeon prompted ministers to introduce masks in schools

Boris Johnson was told that it was ‘not worth the argument’ to not bring masks into schools once Nicola Sturgeon had done so. The PM was told by Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty, cabinet secretary Simon Case and spin doctor Lee Cain that he risked a political row if he didn’t act. Whitty said there were no strong reasons for or against, so it wasn’t worth the debate.

4. ‘No robust rationale’ for the rule of six on children

Social care minister Helen Whately asked Matt Hancock whether the rule of six should be loosened on children under 12, saying there ‘isn’t a robust rationale’ for the policy. Hancock told Whately that No. 10 ‘don’t want to go there’. Scotland and Wales had exempted under-12s from the rule, which was slammed by the Children’s Commissioner.

5. Care homes did not test staff in case too many tested positive. 

Almost 100 care homes said they did not want testing kits, since they were scared to lose staff to Covid. Helen Whately alerted Matt Hancock to this, who told the minister to ‘take a good look’ at areas falling short on testing.

Mr Steerpike can’t wait to see what part three has in store…