Matt Hancock resigns: silence of friends sealed the fate of ex-secretary of health – not the damnation of his enemies | Politics News

As with all modern Conservative scandals, the story of Matt Hancock’s departure from government tonight has an explosive short-term trigger.

But this is the former health secretary long-standing lack of support within the Conservative party who finally sealed his destiny.

The silence of his colleagues at the very moment the photos of The Sun were published was evident.

The video of her intimate embrace with a longtime friend at work and the allegations of cronyism and hypocrisy on foreclosure rules he personally signed into law have hurt his position.

The lack of public support from MPs meant Mr Hancock lacked a support base within the Conservative Party to cushion his downfall.

Huge amounts of political capital have already been spent on Mr Hancock over the past few months and years by friends and colleagues, and too many people were unwilling to keep giving him a blank check.

Downing Street insisted tonight Boris Johnson didn’t force his health secretary, and the precedent on Priti Patel and Robert Jenrick suggests there’s no reason to doubt it.

Mr Johnson had spent a lot of time in interviews and behind the scenes supporting Mr Hancock in the face of a aggression by his former assistant Dominique cummings.

But the tensions between Number 10 and Mr Hancock – spelled out by Mr Cummings – have been real for much of the past year and it is not just the perspective of a rogue adviser.

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There is no reason to doubt that the Irritated SMS sent by Mr Johnson about Mr Hancock spoke of a larger truth.

Mr. Hancock was also causing immense frustration elsewhere in Whitehall and other ministerial offices.

As the NHS guardian in government, his job was to advocate for more draconian restrictions on freedoms to protect health …