'Is that his downstairs loo?' Baffled viewers are left mystified as Matt Hancock gives TV interviews from small room that 'looks like a toilet'

Viewers have been left baffled after Matt Hancock appeared to be giving interviews from his downstairs loo on Sunday.

The Health Secretary appeared on The Andrew Marr Show on BBC and Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday via video call to discuss the current state of vaccination roll-out in the UK. 

But many were distracted by the small bright red room lined with frames and books where he sat for the morning shows.

Viewers have been left baffled after Matt Hancock appeared to be giving interviews from his downstairs loo on Sunday

Viewers were distracted by the small bright red room lined with frames and books where he sat for the morning shows

Viewers took to Twitter where they labelled it his 'panic room' while others described it as 'the most middle class toilet ever'.

Clare Balding said: 'I'm convinced he's sitting on the loo.'

Many were confused by the layout of the narrow interview room, suggesting that he was sat in front of the door. 

One person wrote: Matt Hancock's broom cupboard looks like something from Wolf Hall.

'Half expected Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell to stroll in.' 

Many were confused by the layout of the narrow interview room and the bright decor

Another said: 'Is Matt Hancock doing interviews this morning from his toilet?

'It's too narrow for a box room, he must have a laptop on the cistern and be sitting backwards on the bog, how bizarre...'

Others thought the Health Secretary had created his own 'man cave', spotting the shiny new cricket ball on a shelf beside him.

Also on display was his red ministerial box, paintings, framed clippings and magazines. 

During his interviews, Hancock backed more stringent enforcement of the lockdown by police and warned that 'every flexibility' of the rules could prove fatal.

He said the majority of people are 'following the rules' to stay at home, but he refused to criticise the police over complaints that some forces have been over-zealous in handing out fines.

Viewers took to Twitter where they questioned the layout and decoration of Hancock's room

Police tactics have come in for scrutiny after Derbyshire Police handed out £200 fines to two women who drove separately to go for a walk at a remote beauty spot situated around five miles from their homes.

The constabulary has since confirmed it will be reviewing all fixed penalty notices issued during the new national lockdown in England after it received clarification about the coronavirus regulations from the National Police Chiefs' Council following the incident.

Asked about Derbyshire Police's approach, Hancock told Sophy Ridge: 'I'm absolutely going to back the police because the challenge here is that every flex can be fatal.

'You might look at the rules and think 'Well, it doesn't matter too much if I just do this or do that'.

During his interviews, Hancock backed more stringent enforcement of the lockdown by police and warned that 'every flexibility' of the rules could prove fatal

'But these rules are not there as boundaries to be pushed, they are the limit to what people should be doing.

'The police are right to take very seriously the rules we have brought in. We haven't brought them in because we wanted to, we've brought them in because we had to.

'Every flexibility can be fatal.' 

He also told Andrew Marr that he did not want to 'speculate' on whether the Government would strengthen the current measures.

'The most important thing is that people stay at home and follow the rules that we have got,' he added.

Some viewers thought the bright red colour scheme was reflective of the 'hellish' lockdown measures

'People need to not just follow the letter of the rules but follow the spirit as well and play their part.'

In what will be seen as a welcome boost to the prospect of lifting the restrictions, Mr Hancock said the Government is on course to reach its target of 13 million people vaccinated by mid-February.

He said that 200,000 people are being inoculated per day, with the opening of seven mass vaccination centres this week likely to increase the rate of jabs.

One third of people over the age of 80 has now received a vaccination, he confirmed, while all adults are expected to be offered an injection by the autumn.

Mr Hancock told Sky News that the country is likely to see a joint vaccination programme in place for the 'foreseeable' future.

'I think it's highly likely that there will be a dual-vaccination programme for the foreseeable - this is the medium term - of flu and Covid,' he added.