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A lively game of hunt the issue followed the resignation of Matt Hancock as Secretary of State for Health after the Sun published a photograph of him kissing an aide, Gina Coladangelo, in May, in contravention of the law at the time on meeting indoors. The Prime Minister had tried to declare the matter ‘closed’ when Mr Hancock apologised, but some Tory MPs and many citizens were scandalised that the man in whose name coronavirus restrictions were made law (as statutory instruments) should exempt himself from their strictures. Mr and Mrs Hancock parted company. Questions were raised over how the security camera images reached the Sun, and how Ms Coladangelo had come to be appointed a non-executive director of the Department of Health. Sajid Javid, who had resigned in March 2020 after 204 days as Chancellor of the Exchequer in a power tussle with Dominic Cummings, was appointed health secretary. In a statement to the Commons he said of coronavirus restrictions: ‘We see no reason to go beyond July 19, because, in truth, no date we choose comes with zero risk for Covid.’ England beat Germany 2-0 at Wembley in Euro 2020, going through to play Ukraine in the quarter-finals.
In the seven days up to the beginning of the week, 119 people had died with coronavirus, bringing total deaths (within 28 days of testing positive) to 128,089. More than 375,000 pupils were away from school, one in 20, because of a policy of sending home any in a ‘bubble’ in which another child had tested positive for coronavirus. By the beginning of the week, 61.6 per cent of the adult population had received two doses of vaccine; 84.1 per cent a first dose. Scotland lifted travel restrictions to and from Manchester, Bolton and Salford.
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