‘Astonishing double standards’: Brits outraged after BoJo accepts Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s apology for snogging aide
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has accepted Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s apology for breaking coronavirus guidelines by smooching an aide. Some Brits are furious, given Hancock’s history of zero-tolerance on such encounters.
Hancock was caught red-handed on Friday when the Sun published images taken from a CCTV camera of the minister – who is married with three children – snogging aide Gina Coladangelo. Hancock’s handsy encounter was in violation of his own coronavirus guidelines, which state that co-workers should remain two metres apart from each other, and earlier laws forbidding “casual” sexual encounters between non-cohabiting adults.
Also on rt.com ‘Hands, face, space’: Brits troll health secretary for not following own guidance over reports of sneaky affair with aideThe minister apologised for breaking social distancing guidelines, stating that he was “very sorry” for letting the country down. Hancock’s apology was evidently enough for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Downing Street announced later on Friday that his apology was accepted and the “matter closed.”
Legions of Twitter commenters weren’t as forgiving as Johnson, especially as Hancock supported the resignation last year of Professor Neil Ferguson, who was caught breaching the lockdown restrictions he helped draft to meet his married lover.
The Labour Party led the charge against Hancock, calling out his double standards on Ferguson and demanding “he must go.”
Matt Hancock: If you break the rules you should resign.Also Matt Hancock: I broke the rules. I'm not resigning.He must go. pic.twitter.com/6PsaeJw2dZ
— The Labour Party (@UKLabour) June 25, 2021
So Johnson just accepts the apology of Hancock for breaking rules, and says case closed whilst others have resigned over it. Sorry but what is this govt??
— Zoe Bedford 🏴🇳🇱🇪🇺🏳️🌈 (@Z_BGlass) June 25, 2021
Boris might “consider the matter closed” over Hancock. But I’m willing to wager the 1000s of protestors taking to London’s streets tomorrow won’t agreeHuge anger in the air over astonishing double standards https://t.co/8ZS8UNJnuP
— Martin Daubney (@MartinDaubney) June 25, 2021
By accepting Hancock's apology the Prime Minister has effectively just said deceiving and lying to people is cool and breaking the CV restriction rules they enforce on the rest of us is OK for them as long as they say sorry afterwards.Wow. 😡
— BritishPatriot (@Eldever1) June 25, 2021
Amid calls for Hancock’s sacking, some called for an investigation into his hiring of Coladangelo, a lobbyist and one-time unpaid adviser to the minister, to a taxpayer-funded position. Labour Deputy Leader Angela Rayner accused Hancock of breaking the Ministerial Code with this appointment.
The Prime Minister apparently considers the matter closed. It isn't.I've demanded an investigation by the government's Independent Adviser Lord Geidt into whether Matt Hancock breached the Ministerial Code, again.This should result in him leaving his post as Health Secretary. pic.twitter.com/8YeU3vOzFt
— Angela Rayner (@AngelaRayner) June 25, 2021
An admission of breaking the covid rules and an apology from Matt Hancock but no resignation or comment on his role in employing the woman he was having an affair with. Or the hypocrisy over Prof Ferguson. So he has now effectively left it to Boris Johnson to back him or sack him
— Krishnan Guru-Murthy (@krishgm) June 25, 2021
As the fallout from Hancock’s ill-advised encounter continues, the minister cancelled a planned visit to a vaccine centre in his constituency of West Suffolk on Friday. “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,” his statement of apology read. Coladangelo likely faces a rocky time at home too, where she is married to multi-millionaire fashion tycoon Oliver Tress.
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