A Kent MP has responded after being caught up in a WhatsApp leak with Matt Hancock about Covid testing.

Leaked messages from Faversham and Mid Kent's Helen Whately (Con) showed her saying the Covid testing network was "definitely working" after she booked a test 50 miles away.

In September 2020 she made the 100-mile round trip before home testing kits became available to the public.

It came at a time people around the country were being told the closest free slot for a testing centre was hundreds of miles away from their homes.

Many people were upset and criticised the testing system, but new messages reveal Ms Whately saw her long journey was a triumph, The Telegraph reports.

On September 17 she messaged Mr Hancock: “They won’t XXXX until XXXX has had a negative test result (but no tests available). Are we changing the policy any time soon?!”

He replied: “Has XXXX still got a temperature?”

Ms Whately responded: “No. But they reckon their policy is in line with govt guidelines [...] so the fact temperature has gone down makes no difference.”

The next day she messaged Mr Hancock saying: “Good news from my mystery shopping of our testing system - by repeat visits to testing app as advised have got test for XXXX (who is isolating with XXXX) just 50 miles from home.”

The next day she updated Mr Hancock by saying: “Negative result arrived for XXXX 24 hours after XXXX test, so my mystery shopping shows the system is definitely working, at least for some.”

Mr Hancock replied: “For MOST!”

The Kent MP responded to the revelations in Parliament today when questioned by Labour MP Liz Kendall.

Ms Kendall said: "Throughout the Covid pandemic, ministers repeatedly claimed they threw a protective ring around England's care home and always followed the evidence and scientific advice.

"But WhatsApp messages revealed today from the former Health Secretary revealed nothing could be further from the truth.

"Can the minister now confirm that the chief medical officer first advised the government to test all residents going into care homes in early April 2020.

"Can she explain why the former health sec rejected this advice and failed to introduce community testing until August 14 – a staggering four months later.

"Can she publish the evidence that following the advice would have muddied the waters? Can she confirm that 17,678 people died of Covid in care homes between the CMO's advice and the government finally deciding to act. She should know Mr Speaker, she was responsible for care homes at the time."

Ms Whately replied: "Can I say actually that I think it's relatively easy for the honourable member to come to the house today and make these highly political points.

"And knowing actually how she and I worked together in the pandemic. And she and I talked about all that we were doing to look after people in care homes.

"I am shocked and disappointed in the tone she has taken today when we are dealing with extremely serious questions."

Ms Whately said "difficult decisions" were made during the pandemic due to the limited amount of testing which would be done.

She added: "The government followed the health experts' advice available at the time. We had the capacity to test just 3,000 cases a day in mid-March and I'm sure colleagues will understand why the health advice at the time was to test those on the NHS front line and those in hospitals and care homes.

"The courts have already agreed our prioritisation decisions on testing were completely rational.

"I am shocked and disappointed in the tone she has taken today..."

"As we dramatically ramped up testing capacities we also adjusted that prioritisation in line with public health advice, so in mid-April our testing capacity exceeded 38,000 and we were in a position to test more widely."

Ms Whately said it was "worth noting" the dramatic increase in the amount of tests which could be carried out within the space of a couple of months.

Speaking about the leaked WhatsApp messages, she said: "Those are a selection of messages from a larger quantity of messages, and while there were discussions and debates between colleagues which took place, there were clearly meetings, conversations and other forums in which decisions were made.

"I can say a meeting to discuss the implementation of the advice on testing wasn't referenced in the messages she is talking about, but there is an email following this exchange which says we can press ahead straight away with hospital testing."

The Tory MP went on to say she appreciated speaking to Ms Kendall during the pandemic and she shouldn't be looking to score "political points" with her questions on a serious matter where people lost their lives.