Matt Hancock has resigned as Secretary of Health after being caught kissing a loved one in violation of coronavirus restrictions.
Mr Hancock confirmed his resignation in a letter to Boris Johnson where he said the government “owes it to the people who have sacrificed so much in this pandemic to be honest when we let them down.”
In his resignation letter, Matt Hancock said: “The last thing I want is my privacy to distract from the purposeful goal that is taking us out of this crisis.
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“I want to reiterate my apologies for breaking the guidelines and apologize to my family and loved ones for putting them through this. I also need (to be) with my children at this time.”
The Prime Minister had supported Mr Hancock, after the publication on Friday of a video of a hug with a university friend and non-executive director of the Ministry of Health, Gina Coladangelo.
But Tory MP Duncan Baker was the first Saturday to confirm he was calling her to leave, while former Cabinet minister Esther McVey said she would step down if she held the same post.
Mr Hancock’s breach of the rules has been compared to that of former Chief Assistant to Prime Minister Dominic Cummings, who infamously visited Barnard Castle in County Durham during a nationwide lockdown.
North Norfolk MP Mr. Baker was reportedly the first MP to openly ask Mr. Hancock to leave on Saturday.
He told the Eastern Daily Press: “In my opinion, people in high public office and in high positions of responsibility should act with the proper morals and ethics that go with that role.
“Matt Hancock, on a number of measures, fell short of this goal. As an MP, a dedicated family man, married 12 years with a wonderful wife and children, standards and integrity are important to me.
“I will not condone this behavior in any way and I have in the strongest terms possible told the government what I think.”
When asked if that meant he thought Mr Hancock should resign, he said yes.
Mrs McVey told GB News: “If it had been me I would have resigned myself, and I said it for Dominic (Cummings), and I hope Matt Hancock thinks the same, that he did not for it to be forced upon him. “
She said it would be “much better seen” if he resigned.
Veteran Conservative MP Sir Christopher Chope said his constituents were “seething” and his party association voted “unanimously to call on Matt Hancock to step down immediately”, which he said reflected the mood of the public.
He told BBC Radio 4’s PM show: “I think his position is untenable. For that reason, the sooner he does the honorable thing and announces his resignation, the better – because otherwise it’s not going to go away. . “
Mr Hancock is deeply unpopular with some Tories who believe he has been an obstacle to easing restrictions on coronaviruses.
And in a cryptic tweet, William Wragg, Tory MP for Hazel Grove and chairman of the House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee, said: “Re Mr. Hancock, one thought: Covid regulations have created a dystopian world of denunciation, finger & hypocrisy.
“Let us free ourselves from this tyranny of diktat and arbitrariness. As we will inevitably see with this sad example, the revolution always consumes its own.
Tim Montgomerie, Tory commentator and former adviser to Mr Johnson, told the BBC’s Today show: ‘When you break your own rules, you have to show the public that you understand the transgression you have committed and that you resign. “
Conservative critics have joined opposition parties in saying the health secretary should leave.
Labor Party Chairman Anneliese Dodds said: “His position is desperately untenable. Boris Johnson should fire him.”
Liberal Democrat health and social services spokeswoman Munira Wilson added: “This latest episode of hypocrisy will shatter the trust of the British public. He was telling families not to hug loved ones while doing this. he wanted in the workplace. “
As SNP deputy chief in Westminster, Kirsten Oswald, said: “Boris Johnson risks jeopardizing vital public health measures in place the more he desperately clings to his shameful Health Secretary – just as he has. made with Dominic Cummings. “
Mr Hancock said he was “very sorry” for letting people down after The Sun first reported he was having an extramarital affair and requested confidentiality for him and his family.
But the MP for West Suffolk received support from some Cabinet colleagues.
Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi told reporters: “The secretary of state has apologized and said all he had to say.”
As International Trade Secretary Liz Truss told Lincolnshire Live: “I understand this is a personal matter and he hasn’t broken any rules.”
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Source: www.chroniclelive.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-06-26 17:33:03
