UK Health Minister Hancock Resigns... Breaks COVID-19 Rules for Affair in Office

Former UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock [Photo by EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Matt Hancock, the UK Health Secretary who was found to have engaged in an extramarital affair with an aide in his office and violated COVID-19 quarantine rules, resigned on the 26th (local time).

The UK tabloid The Sun obtained and reported CCTV footage showing Hancock embracing and kissing his aide Gina Coladangelo in his office at the Department of Health building in London on the afternoon of the 6th of last month. Coladangelo is a friend Hancock has known since their time at Oxford University’s radio station and was appointed as a non-executive director advising the Department of Health last September. Both are married and each has three children.

After photos of Hancock and Coladangelo kissing in the office were made public, public opinion surged with criticism that the minister on the front lines of COVID-19 prevention had violated social distancing rules.

On the same day, Hancock posted a video on Twitter announcing that he had tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Johnson the previous night. The day before, Hancock admitted to violating social distancing rules and apologized for disappointing the public but expressed his intention not to step down. Prime Minister Johnson also supported him, stating that the matter was considered closed, but this failed to prevent public discontent from worsening.

In a YouGov survey, 49% responded that Hancock should resign, nearly twice the 25% who said he should remain. COVID-19 bereaved families sent a letter urging Prime Minister Boris Johnson to dismiss Hancock if he did not resign.

Appointed during Theresa May’s premiership in 2018, Hancock had recently overcome several crises but was ultimately caught out. His position was shaken last year due to poor COVID-19 response but stabilized this year with the success of the vaccine policy. However, he faced difficulties again after former aide Dominic Cummings repeatedly exposed failures in the COVID-19 response.

Hancock’s successor is Sajid Javid, who held the key post of Chancellor of the Exchequer in Boris Johnson’s cabinet. Javid resigned in February last year after refusing Johnson’s order to dismiss all his special advisers and replace them with the Prime Minister’s special advisers.