Boris Johnson today refused to sack Matt Hancock having accepted an apology that neglected to mention the wife he cheated on after he was caught on CCTV passionately kissing his most senior aide against the door of his Whitehall office.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Mr Johnson now ‘considered the matter closed’ and refused to answer questions on whether Mr Hancock broke the law or ministerial code as the Health Secretary admitted he had ‘let people down’ and said sorry for flouting social distancing rules. Married Mr Hancock, 42, failed to deny claims of a secret long-term affair after extraordinary images revealed his passionate clinch with millionaire lobbyist Gina Coladangelo, 43, where he was filmed rubbing her back and bottom during their workplace embrace.
In an extraordinary statement he did not mention his wife of 15 years Martha, the mother of his three children, who was pictured looking heartbroken while walking the family dog near their north London home today, only saying he had ‘let people down’ and wanted ‘privacy for my family on this personal matter’. As Mr Hancock fights for his political life, Labour and the Liberal Democrats branded him a ‘hypocrite’ who should be fired for kissing a lover and ignoring his own ‘hands, face and space’ mantra while telling the UK not to hug their loved-ones and not to have casual sex and stick to ‘established relationships’ to stop coronavirus spreading.
But despite the sleaze scandal Mr Hancock still hopes to survive and said: ‘I accept that I breached the social distancing guidance in these circumstances. 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’.
And backing him Boris Johnson’s spokesman told reporters: ‘You have seen the Health Secretary’s statement and so I would point you to that, I don’t really have anything further to add. He accepts that he has broken the social distancing guidelines. The Prime Minister has accepted the Health Secretary’s apology and considers the matter closed.’ He added ‘all the correct procedures were followed’ in hiring Gina Coladangelo, who is paid £15,000 for around 15 days work per year.
Read More: Fury as Boris refuses to sack cheating Matt Hancock
