How much trouble is Matt Hancock in? The Sun splashes this morning on the Health Secretary’s affair with aide Gina Coladangelo. The paper has obtained screen grabs from leaked Whitehall CCTV footage showing very little the way of social distancing.
The images are from the start of May, when laws were still in place to enforce social distancing. Hancock has issued a brief statement this morning, apologising for breaking the rules: ‘I accept that I breached the social distancing guidance. I have let people down and am very sorry. 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.’
The list of ministers who seem to think that the rules don’t apply to them is growing
Despite the statement, the story is very unlikely to go away. Hancock is feeling the heat on two fronts: the first that he explicitly broke Covid rules, the second that Coladangelo was on the government’s payroll, receiving at least £15,000 of taxpayer money.
As Mr Steerpike reports, there is no public record of Coladangelo’s appointment.
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