Matt Hancock was a key man in the pandemic. But because he kissed an employee when there were strict distance rules, Prime Minister Johnson cannot hold his minister.
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock has resigned following reports of an affair with a close associate. The conservative politician said in a video that anyone who sets up the corona rules has to adhere to them.
The tabloid The Sun had published pictures on Friday showing the married minister kissing a woman. At the time of the recordings, there were strict rules of distance to members of other households that Hancock had drawn up himself. According to the newspaper, the images come from a surveillance camera in Hancock’s office. The opposition calls for an investigation into whether the minister hired his alleged lover, who is also married, before the start of the affair or only afterwards. The two have been friends since their time together at Oxford University.
Hancock was seen as the face of the British government in the pandemic. Despite numerous allegations, he has so far been able to stay in office. For example, one of his friends had received a multi-million dollar order for the delivery of corona protective equipment, although he has no experience in this area.
Hancock declined to resign after the kiss photo was published, but apologized. Johnson accepted the apology and declared the case closed. But the pressure on Johnson and Hancock grew. Johnson’s former adviser, Dominic Cummings, posted text messages showing that the Prime Minister has now described Hancock’s actions as “hopeless”. Cummings also accused Hancock of lying and incompetence at the height of the crisis last year. Hancock faced Johnson in the battle for the Tory presidency in 2019.
Hancock exposed as “the greatest possible hypocrite,” wrote the press
And the newspaper Daily Mailwho is close to the prime minister, demanded in clear words Hancock’s expulsion. The minister had revealed himself to be the greatest possible hypocrite by breaking the rule, the paper wrote.
Johnson now accepted the resignation. Hancock can be proud of what he achieved before and during the pandemic.
The departure from his cabinet comes at an inopportune time for Johnson. The Prime Minister had to postpone the planned and widely announced easing of the corona measures, as the number of infections in Great Britain is increasing enormously. Because of the spread of the particularly contagious Delta variant, the number of new infections has risen to the highest level in more than four months. On Saturday, authorities reported 18,270 new cases – about 2,400 more than the previous day and the number since February 5.