U.K. health secretary resigns over photos, video of him kissing an aide during lockdown

published 27 June 2021

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock resigned Saturday following photos and videos released by the Sun tabloid of him passionately kissing an aide, Gina Coladangelo, at work. Coladangelo also resigned. Both are married, but it wasn't the "snogging" or infidelity that prompted Hancock's departure — it was the bald hypocrisy of Hancock breaking social distancing rules he set and frequently urged Britons to follow during COVID-19 lockdowns.

"Those of us who have made these rules have got to stick by them, and that's why I've got to resign," Hancock said in a video posted Saturday. In his resignation to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, he added, "I owe it to people who have sacrificed so much in this pandemic to be honest when we have let them down." There was also extensive political pressure for his ouster, including from members of the governing Conservative Party.

Johnson, who stood by Hancock on Friday, appointed former treasury secretary Sajid Javid as his replacement.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.