Coronavirus and extramarital affair do not mix. British Minister for Health Matt Hancock, a key figure in government action against the pandemic, announced this Saturday his resignation for violating the rules put in place in the face of Covid-19 as part of a link with an advisor, revealed by the tabloid The Sun.
“We owe it to ourselves to be honest with the people who have sacrificed so much during this pandemic, when we disappointed them as I did by breaking the instructions”, he wrote in his letter of resignation given to the Premier Minister Boris Johnson, reiterating his apologies. “You should leave your post very proud of what you have achieved, not only in tackling the pandemic but also before the Covid-19 hits us,” Boris Johnson replied, saying he was “sorry” for his departure. of the government.
A possible conflict of interest?
The tabloid The Sun had published on Friday in “one” an image taken from a surveillance camera showing Matt Hancock, married and father of three, kissing Gina Coladangelo, a long-time friend whose discreet hiring had already been controversial, in his office on 6 May, at a time when braces were prohibited.
Matt Hancock had apologized and the head of government had first given his support, deeming the subject “closed”. But the Sun hit the nail on the head on Saturday, posting the surveillance camera video footage on its website and calls for the resignation of Matt Hancock have multiplied, especially from opposition parties.
The main one, the Labor Party, had also questioned a possible conflict of interest in the appointment to the ministry of Gina Coladangelo, a lobbyist Matt Hancock has known from university and who currently heads communications for a chain of shops founded by her husband. This appointment had not been declared before being revealed by the press.