UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock, has resigned following reports of a secret romance with a Senior aide Gina Coladangelo.
The Sun UK published a photo of Hancock purportedly “kissing and embracing Gina Coladangelo” at the Department of Health’s London headquarters.
The report said the incident happened in May.
Hancock, who had previously remained silent on the matter, on Saturday announced his resignation, stating that he did not want his “private life” to distort the current UK government’s good works.
He also admitted that he broke covid-19 guidelines as such, he had to take the lead and stay away from his office.
In a resignation letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Hancock said the government owed it “to people who have sacrificed so much in this pandemic to be honest when we have let them down.”
“And those of us who make these rules have got to stick by them and that’s why I’ve got to resign,” he wrote.
“I am writing to resign as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. We have worked so hard as a country to fight the pandemic. The last thing I would want is for my private life to distract attention from the single-minded focus that is leading us out of this crisis.
“I want to reiterate my apology for breaking the guidelines, and apologise to my family and loved ones for putting them through this. I also need be with my children at this time,” his letter stated in part.
BBC reports that UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson felt “sorry” upon receiving Hancock’s resignation letter.
Hancock has been at the forefront of the government’s campaign against the pandemic, appearing on television on a regular basis to urge people to obey tight guidelines and defend his department against criticism of its response to the crisis.
