Former One Direction singer Niall Horan has lashed out at Matt Hancock over the Government's handling of the coronavirus crisis - call...
Former One Direction singer Niall Horan has lashed out at Matt Hancock over the Government's handling of the coronavirus crisis - calling him 'smug and slippery'.
The 26-year-old Irish star tweeted this afternoon: 'I get the idea that Health Secretary Matt Hancock thinks he's a lot more intelligent than he actually is. Always very smug and slippery.
'Excuse me but Matt you've had a major howler here and it's about time you handed facts out instead of worrying about what the opposition thinks.'
Horan's comments come as Mr Hancock faces calls to be sacked over the slow start to Britain's testing regime, with the nation's death toll from Covid-19 rising to 33,614 today.
Former One Direction singer Niall Horan (left) has hit out at Matt Hancock (right) over the Government's handling of the coronavirus crisis - calling him 'smug and slippery'
Horan's tweet this afternoon. It was revealed last month that he donated 100,000 euro (£87,000) to an Irish charity which helps older people through the Covid crisis
It is unclear what prompted the singer to lambast the Health Secretary, although he clearly feel very strongly about the pandemic.
Last month, it was revealed that Horan donated 100,000 euro (£87,000) to an Irish charity which helps older people through the Covid crisis.
He gifted the generous amount to the charity Alone - with the organisation stating it would enable them to continue to provide vital assistance to older people during this difficult time.
The Slow Hands hitmaker said it was 'a real pleasure' to show his support to such a 'great cause'.
Horan's tweet comes after Mr Hancock was involved in a series of ill-tempered live TV and radio interviews on Tuesday where he appeared frustrated when repeatedly asked for 'clarity' on how Britain would be eased out of the coronavirus lockdown.
The Health Secretary was grilled on whether the Government's 'road map' was confusing and even appeared to roll his eyes ahead of his appearance on BBC Breakfast.
Horan's tweet comes after Mr Hancock was involved in a series of ill-tempered live TV and radio interviews on Tuesday where he appeared frustrated when repeatedly asked for 'clarity' on how Britain would be eased out of the coronavirus lockdown. (Above, his awkward appearance on BBC Breakfast)
Niall's fans were quick to praise him on Twitter - even if at least one of his followers doesn't know who Matt Hancock is
Mr Hancock has also been told to take steps to improve the 'trustworthiness' of his daily updates by Sir David Norgrove, chairman of the UK Statistics Authority
Mr Hancock's off-guard moment came as host Louise Minchin said Labour had demanded 'more clarity' on how people would return to normal life - and his look to the sky appeared to be aimed at someone behind the camera.
And then around half an hour later on BBC Radio 4, he was asked about the confusion surrounding whether people should have returned to work on Monday or Wednesday and said: 'I think that if that is the biggest complaint the Today programme has then I think things are fine', adding: 'I think we've been clear throughout'.
Mr Hancock has also been told to take steps to improve the 'trustworthiness' of his daily updates by Sir David Norgrove, chairman of the UK Statistics Authority.
In a damning letter to the Cabinet minister Sir David, a former Treasury economist and private secretary to Margaret Thatcher, also highlighted his target of 100,000 tests carried out by the end of April.
Mr Hancock announced 122,000 tests were completed on April 30 but they included 40,000 kits which had been posted to potential sufferers but were yet to be returned and analysed.
Meanwhile, doubts have intensified about whether the NHS coronavirus contact tracing app will really be ready for millions of Britons to use in the coming days.
Mr Hancock has confirmed the app - currently being piloted on the Isle of Wight - would be rolled out nationwide by mid-May.
The Health Secretary said officials had 'learned a lot about how the app operates', adding that Number 10 was 'pleased with the progress'.
But an expert who sat on an advisory board for the contact-tracing app admitted he was 'very surprised' by the Health Secretary's pledge.
One Direction on X Factor Live in 2010 (l to r: Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik)
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