UK Health Minister resigned for kissing his lover in the office

The British Minister for Health and in charge of the fight against the pandemic, Matt Hancock, resigned this Saturday, June 27, after breaking the health rules of social distancing by kissing a counselor in his office.

“We have to be honest with the people who have sacrificed so much during this pandemic, when we disappoint them like I did by breaking the slogans.”Hancock, 42, wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson. “The last thing I want is for my private life to distract from the unique approach that is taking us out of this crisis,” he added.

The newspaper The sun posted a surveillance camera image on Friday showing Hancock, married with three children, kissing Gina Coladangelo, also married, a friend met in college and whose appointment to the ministry sparked controversy. The events took place in the minister’s office on May 6, when the country was subject to social distancing rules, with fines for citizens breaking the rules.

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“I admit that I did not respect the sanitary instructions,” the minister said on Friday in a brief statement. “I have disappointed a lot of people and I am very sorry about it,” he added, asking for his privacy. Prime Minister Boris Johnson “has accepted Hancock’s apology” and considers the case “closed”, a Downing Street spokesman said.

But the requests for an apology were not enough and requests for resignation multiplied this Saturday, both from the opposition parties and from the conservative camp in power, who accused the Minister of Health of hypocrisy: “Matt Hancock is right to resign. But Boris Johnson should have fired him”said the leader of the Labor Party.

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“The Prime Minister’s inaction shows the absolute contempt of this government for the British people,” lamented the leader of the Liberal Democrats. Labor President Anneliese Dodds said Boris Johnson “should fire him” and accused the minister of “breaking his own rules” and “abuse of power”.

Hancock’s resignation comes as the UK, which has suffered more than 128,000 deaths, faces an outbreak of coronavirus infections attributed to the highly contagious Delta variant. Johnson has said he “regrets” the resignation of his minister. “He will be able to step down from his post with pride for all he has accomplished, not only in the face of the pandemic, but also before covid-19 attacks us,” he said.

Hancock will be replaced by Sajid Javid, 51, who was finance minister in a previous cabinet of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and who resigned in early 2020 due to disagreements over the management of his portfolio. Javid, the son of a Pakistani bus driver, was previously Home Secretary, the first from an ethnic minority to hold the post, under Theresa May.

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