UK health secretary Matt Hancock apologised on Friday for breaching pandemic rules after pictures of him embracing senior aide Gina Coladangelo emerged. Hancock has however dismissed talks of his resignation, reported Bloomberg.
“I accept that I breached the social-distancing guidance in these circumstances,” Hancock said in an official statement.
“I have let people down and am very sorry,” he added.
A British tabloid published images of Hancock and Coladangelo embracing in the Department of Health’s London headquarter from May 6, while a deadly mutant strain of the virus was going around. The UK government relaxed lockdown norms allowing intimate contact from members outside one’s own household from May 17.
The images, which have since been circulated widely on social media, appear to be screenshots of grainy CCTV footage, depicting Hancock and his aide in a close embrace. The opposition Labour Party raised questions about appointment processes in the government and the use of taxpayer’s money in ruminating government personnel, after reports emerged of Coladangelo being paid 15,000 pounds a year for her role as the non-executive director at the department of health.
“Today’s revelations about the Health Secretary raise serious questions about the use of taxpayers’ money, appointment processes and why yet again Covid guidance was broken,” tweeted chair of the labour party Anneliese Dodds
“Matt Hancock’s position is hopelessly untenable. Boris Johnson should sack him,” she added.
Hancock said he’s focusing on working on getting the UK ”out of the ongoing pandemic” and asked for privacy for himself and his family while dealing with a personal matter. “I remain focused on working to get the country out of this pandemic, and would be grateful for privacy for my family on this personal matter,” said the statement released by his office.
Hancock has repeatedly come under fire for his handling of the pandemic. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is said to have referred to Hancock as “hopeless” to his ex-advisor Dominic Cummings. The health secretary who heads the National health service has also been accused of rewarding contracts to firms he owned shares in.
