Matt Hancock was pictured leaving Downing Street with Gina Coladangelo on May 1
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock admitted breaching social distancing guidelines after photos of himself accepting his assistant were published in a British newspaper.
He said he “disappointed people” after photos emerged of him with Gina Coladangelo, whom he himself ran for office, and that he was “very sorry.”
Since then, Labor has put enormous pressure on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to sack Hancock, saying the situation is “unsustainable”.
But people close to the Prime Minister say Boris Johnson has accepted Hancock's apology and “considers the matter closed”.
Asked whether the Prime Minister had “full confidence” in Hancock, Boris Johnson’s spokesman replied: “Yes.”
Newspaper the sun, The person who published the photos stated that the photos of Hancock and Coladangelo, both married with children, were taken inside the Ministry of Health in early May 2021.
Social distancing in workplaces is not a legal requirement, but is recommended by the government.
People are advised to maintain a distance of two meters between each other where possible, or one meter while mitigating risks.
On 6 May, when England was still in stage two of Covid-19 restrictions, meeting indoors for business purposes was allowed, but only when “absolutely necessary”.
Labor leader Annalize Dodds said: “If Matt Hancock secretly maintained a relationship with an aide in his office, whom he personally appointed to a taxpayer-funded role, it is a blatant abuse of power and a clear conflict of interest.”
“His role is hopelessly unsustainable. Boris Johnson must sack him.”
The party said that it would not abandon the matter, after those close to the Prime Minister said that it considered the matter “closed.”
A government spokesman said: “This matter has certainly not been closed, despite the government’s attempts to cover it up.”
A government spokesman said Coladangelo's appointment was “done in the usual way” and “followed the correct procedure.”
In a statement, Hancock, a 42-year-old father of three, said: “I accept that I broke social distancing guidelines in these circumstances. I let people down, and I'm sorry.”
The Labor Party is putting enormous pressure on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to dismiss Hancock
He added: “I remain focused on working to get the country out of this pandemic and would appreciate my family's privacy on this personal matter.”
Hancock canceled a visit to the coronavirus vaccination center at Newmarket Racecourse in West Suffolk on Friday morning (25/06), just hours after the story was published. the sun.
“Hypocrisy”
Coladangelo, who knows the Health Secretary from their work together on Oxford University's student radio, was appointed non-executive director of the Department of Health in September 2020.
She receives a salary of £15,000 (R$102,000) for her role, for between 15 and 20 days of work per year.
The Liberal Democrats are calling on Hancock to resign and accused him of “hypocrisy” regarding social distancing.
“Families were asked not to hug their loved ones while they were doing whatever they wanted in the workplace,” health spokeswoman Munira Wilson said.
Hancock's ministerial colleagues rallied around him, with International Development Secretary Liz Truss telling the BBC: “(Hancock) has my support (in Cabinet). This is a personal matter.”
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told the programme todayfrom BBC Radio 4: “I think for a long time there has been a complete difference between what people do in their work… and what they do in their personal lives.”
Hancock has been married for 15 years to Martha, an osteopath. Coladangelo, 43, is married to Oliver Tres, founder of women's clothing and accessories store Oliver Bonas.
In May 2020, epidemiologist Professor Neil Ferguson resigned from the government's Scientific Advisory Group (Sage) after they found he had breached lockdown rules when a woman with whom he had been in a relationship visited his home.
At the time, Hancock described Ferguson's actions as “ridiculous”, adding that social distancing rules were “up for grabs” and were “extremely dangerous”.
Mark Drakeford, Wales's Labor First Minister, said on Friday that Hancock was “quick to condemn” Ferguson, adding: “Certainly here in Wales, I always expect all members of our ministerial team to follow the rules that we hope others will follow.”
“We can't make rules for other people and not be willing to follow them as well.”
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