Matt Hancock on the reason he called Marcus Rashford "Daniel Rashford"
17 June 2020, 08:42 | Updated: 17 June 2020, 08:55
The reason Matt Hancock called Marcus Rashford "Daniel"
Matt Hancock insisted the reason he called Marcus Rashford "Daniel" was because he had been reading Harry Potter with his son.
In an earlier interview, the Health Secretary said he was proud of the way that Daniel Rashford had campaigned and he was pleased the government had got it right in the end over school meal vouchers.
Speaking to Nick Ferrari, he revealed the reason for his mistake.
He said: "I didn't know about it. And apparently I got it right about two minutes later, so it was a complete mis-speak.
"Perhaps I had Harry Potter on the mind. My seven-year-old listens to Harry Potter and reads Harry Potter avidly, including at 5.30 this morning when I got up to do this morning media round.
"So maybe I had Harry Potter on my mind."
Mr Hancock insisted the government had done the right thing in the end.
He said: "Marcus Rashford has made his case so strongly and clearly and with such poise and dignity and I think that's great.
"What I care about is the substance of where we got to.
Nick Ferrari presses Matt Hancock on U-turn over Rashford campaign
"When schools are in, it's perfectly reasonable that you get these free school meals during term-time. This year, it's very unusual, so we're having to look at lots of these decisions.
"The Prime Minister clearly had a look at this and I think he's made the right decision."
