Government comms ‘need overhaul’ after Covid-19 blunders and spin Fact-checking charity calls for inquiry and says civil service analysts should brief the press on complex issues Matt Hancock: accused of manipulating testing targets. Photo: PA 01 Feb 2021 Ministers need to take urgent action to improve government communications – as well as the accuracy and transparency of official data – after the first months of the coronavirus pandemic dented public confidence, according to a new report. The past 12 months have seen scores of examples of ministers failing to back up claims with evidence and not correcting errors when they were made aware of them, Full Fact said.