War of words erupts over Covid Whatsapp messages

The Independent's Morning Headlines email [View online]( March 02, 2023 [Morning Headlines]( 1 / [War of words erupts over Covid Whatsapp messages]( An extraordinary war of words has erupted over events at the centre of government during the [Covid]( pandemic after more than 100,000 of [Matt Hancock](’s Whatsapp messages were leaked. As he fought for his political reputation, the former health secretary claimed through a spokesperson that the messages had been “doctored” and “spun to fit an anti-lockdown agenda”. It was “flat wrong” to say Mr Hancock had rejected advice to test all residents going into English care homes, the spokesperson added. The messages were leaked by the journalist Isabel Oakeshott and published in The Telegraph after she was handed them by Mr Hancock while working on his Pandemic Diaries memoir. Mr Hancock is said to be considering legal action against The Telegraph. A source close to Mr Hancock said: “She’s broken a legal NDA [non-disclosure agreement]. Her behaviour is outrageous.” The government was also accused of hiding behind the official inquiry after it refused to answer questions over the delivery of a Covid test to Jacob Rees-Mogg’s home despite a shortage.   2 / [Body found in search for Constance Marten’s missing newborn baby]( News is ‘heartbreaking for community’ say police questioning couple on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter 3 / [Disabled teen died in ‘her own filth’ as parents jailed]( ‘Kaylea lived and died in squalor and degradation’ 4 / [Renewables produced enough electricity to ‘power every UK home’ through the winter]( Analysts say producing more clean energy saves the UK from importing and burning more gas 5 / [Harry and Meghan confirm they’ve been asked to ‘vacate’ Frogmore Cottage]( The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s confirmation comes amid reports that Prince Andrew will be moving into the cottage     The Big Question ‘The male contraceptive pill is on its way – but would you trust a man to take it?’ What is the greatest invention in history? Some might say the wheel, others sliced bread. But there is a strong argument that no single item has revolutionised society more than the [contraceptive pill](. Developed in the United States in the 1950s, the pill became a symbol of sexual freedom, integral to the women’s liberation movements of the Sixties and Seventies., writes [Eloise Hendy](. Over 60 years after it was first introduced on the NHS, the pill is the main form of contraception for nearly a third of women of reproductive age in the UK, and more than 150 million women use it worldwide. Yet, while both the combined pill and “mini pill” are often held up as emblems of modernity – and as feminist milestones – the advent of oral contraceptives also put the burden for avoiding pregnancy on women. On one hand, the pill granted sexual freedom. On the other, the perception of sexual responsibility. And so, for many years, one question has dogged the medical establishment: what about the boys? [For the full story click here >](   Enjoying this newsletter? Unlock unlimited, ad-free reading on the website and in The Independent app when you subscribe – plus, benefit from our [welcome offer when you join today](. Watch/ [The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary](   NUMBER OF THE DAY 11 – Just about 11 minutes of daily moderate physical [activity]( like a brisk [walk]( can lower the risk of early death from diseases such as [heart disease](, [stroke]( and a number of cancers, according to a new study. [Read more here](   QUOTE OF THE DAY “Not something I asked for, so if I received any special treatment, it wasn’t because I had requested it, but actually it allowed a government minister to get back to work with a child that didn’t have Covid in the first place, who wouldn’t have needed a special test had the system actually been working, but I accept it wasn’t working for other people too.” – [Jacob Rees-Mogg]([has admitted a Covid test was couriered to his house]( for one of his children by health officials during the pandemic, but said he did not ask for it. [Read more here]( Turkey and Syria earthquake appeal £35,717 – The Independent is appealing for help in [raising urgently needed funds]( following the deadliest earthquake to hit [Turkey]( and [Syria]( in almost a century. We will update the running total here each day. 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