U.K. health secretary faces firing over hug during distancing laws
Public reaction may decide Hancock's fate
Matt Hancock should be fired as the U.K.'S Health Secretary for breaching COVID-19 rules to conduct an affair, Cabinet ministers warned — if public anger matches the backlash that arose against Dominic Cummings's trip to Barnard Castle last year against virus protocol.
Cummings, Boris Johnson's then-chief of staff, had claimed his trip, which made the words “Barnard Castle” equal to terrible excuses, had been made to test his eyesight. He had said his family “ended up” on the outskirts of the town — 430 km from his London home — during the first lockdown last year.
Public and political anger rose over the fact that Cummings had helped craft “stay at home” rules and messages, yet flouted them.
Last night Tory MPS urged Johnson to “pull the plug” on Hancock and expressed their frustration to party whips over the Health Secretary's “hypocritical” behaviour.
A Cabinet source told The Daily Telegraph that while the prime minister was “standing by” Hancock at present, “it could unravel pretty quickly.” The front-bencher added: “If there is a Barnard Castle moment he is going to be under quite a lot of pressure.”
A government source said public reaction was being monitored and could determine Hancock's fate.
Lawyers said Hancock was “likely” to have broken the law, not just COVID-19 guidance, after images were published of him embracing Gina Coladangelo, an aide, in his office in early May.
At the time the image was captured, said to be May 6, the nation was at Stage 2 of the roadmap out of coronavirus restrictions. Hugging was banned, while socializing indoors between people from different households was illegal, bar limited exceptions.
Another well-placed government source said that Downing Street was yet to fire Hancock because “we don't want to go `Back to Basics,'” referring to John Major's speech in 1993 that promoted traditional values such as “neighbourliness, decency, courtesy” but became the subject of ridicule when a succession of ministers were caught up in scandals in its wake.
Hancock's wife was seen leaving the family home last night with what appeared to be overnight bags. The Health Secretary apologized yesterday for breaching social distancing guidance and the prime minister sought to draw a line under the episode by saying he accepted the apology and the matter was “closed,” No. 10 said.
However, there were mounting questions last night over the details of Coladangelo's appointment as a non-executive director at the Department of Health and Social Care, for which she was paid 15,000 pounds ($25,000) a year. The Telegraph understands that the affair only started in May, according to friends, and Coladangelo's appointment to the Department of Health board “significantly predates” it.
Cabinet ministers said that while Hancock was safe for now, he could be forced out if more details emerge over his relations with Coladangelo.
It also emerged a relative of Coladangelo is an executive at a private healthcare company that has been awarded NHS contracts worth millions of pounds since she became an adviser to the Department of Health. Sky News reported that Roberto Coladangelo, believed to be Coladangelo's brother, is an executive at Partnering Health Ltd., which provides urgent and primary care services and has been awarded at least two NHS contracts.
The Telegraph disclosed in April how Hancock had a controlling hand in the organization that awarded his sister's firm potential access to NHS contracts.
Hancock was listed as one of two “persons with significant control” over NHS Shared Business Services, which in 2019 awarded his sister's company, Topwood Ltd., a place as a potential supplier to NHS Trusts.
The affair is the latest scandal to engulf Hancock, after he was accused by Cummings of lying to the prime minister over whether patients were sent from hospitals to care homes at the height of the pandemic without being tested for the virus.
One Cabinet minister privately said that Hancock's current behaviour reinforced a feeling of us and them, with ministers failing to abide by the rules.
The minister said that while it “looks very, very bad,” Johnson was “standing by (Hancock) at this moment.” However, the senior front-bencher added: “This could unravel pretty quickly — it depends if the affair started before she was appointed or after. That is relevant. If there is a Barnard Castle moment he is going to be under quite a lot of pressure.”
Fifty-eight per cent of adults think Hancock should resign in light of his affair, a snap poll by Savanta Comres yesterday showed.
Last night a source close to Hancock said: “No laws have been broken.