Health Secretary disaster Matt Hancock went for the sympathy vote by telling Parliament his ‘step-grandfather’ (he wasn’t) had died from ‘Covid’. He was actually in a home suffering from Alzheimer’s and died after testing positive with a test not testing for the ‘virus’

This is Derek Johnston, the ‘step-grandfather’ whose death brought Health Secretary Matt Hancock close to tears when he paid an emotional tribute to him in Parliament on Tuesday.

Mr Hancock, 42, was wrapping up a highly-charged debate on the Covid lockdown tiers when he referred to Mr Johnston as his ‘step-grandfather, Derek’ who died last month of the virus.

In fact, Derek was not Mr Hancock’s step-grandfather and their relationship, MailOnline has discovered, was more complex than that. 

Former construction worker Derek, 77, was the second husband of Mr Hancock’s stepfather, Bob Carter’s ex-wife, Marjorie.

Mr Carter married the Health Secretary’s mother Shirley in 1984 after she split from Mr Hancock’s father Michael when the MP was six years old. 

Read more: Health Secretary disaster Matt Hancock went for the sympathy vote by telling Parliament his ‘step-grandfather’ (he wasn’t) had died from ‘Covid’. He was actually in a home suffering from Alzheimer’s and died after testing positive with a test not testing for the ‘virus’