The health secretary of the United Kingdom, Matt Hancock (42), submitted his resignation to UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson on May 26 after The Sun released photographs of him embracing and kissing his co-worker Gina Coladangelo (43).

In his letter to the PM, Hancock apologised for his actions, saying that he had breached the social distancing norms in these circumstances of a global pandemic.

Apologising for letting people down, Hancock said the government "owes it to people who have sacrificed so much in this pandemic to be honest when we have let them down,"

The Prime Minister appointed Sajid Javid as the new health secretary.

Who is Matt Hancock?

Hancock is a member of parliament who won from West Suffolk on the ticket of the Conservative party. He joined the government in 2012 in various capacities and served as the UK’s health secretary for three years. Earlier he was the minister of state for digital and culture from July 2016 to January 2018.

Prior to politics, Hancock was an economist in the Bank of England and was also the Chief of Staff to the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Hancock was married to Martha for 15 years and had three children.

Which guidelines did Hancock violate?

Hancock had secretly recruited his friend from his days at Oxford University as an adviser to the department of health and social care (DHSC) last year, reported The Sun.

Coladangelo became an unpaid adviser on a six-month contract in March 2020. In September 2020, Hancock appointed Coladangelo as a non-executive director on the board of DHSC, which scrutinises the department.

The ‘chumocracy’ controversy raged in November 2020 when reports came out that she had accompanied Hancock to confidential meetings at No 10 Downing Street (office and residence of the prime minister).

When Hancock and Coladangelo embraced inside the office, they violated COVID-19 guidelines. The health and safety executive (HSE) says that employers and employees should maintain a distance of 2 mt or at least 1 mt for risk mitigation if 2 mt is not viable.

The guidelines say that co-workers need to “maintain social distancing guidelines wherever possible”. This includes when they arrive at and depart from work, while they are in work, and when they travel between sites.

It also emphasises that social distancing applies to all parts of the business which includes entrances and exits, break rooms and canteens and other such settings.

More than two people could not gather indoors unless it was considered necessary.

Who is Gina Coladangelo?

Coladangelo is believed to be a millionaire mother of three children. She is the communications director at Oliver Bonas, the fashion and lifestyle store founded by her husband Oliver Tress.

Coladangelo is also a director and major shareholder at lobbying firm Luther Pendragon. Coladangelo stepped down as non-executive director on the board of DHSC soon after Hancock’s resignation.

How will the UK tackle the leak?

The UK’s health ministry intends to investigate how the CCTV footage of Hancock embracing Coladangelo in his office got leaked to the media, Reuters reported on June 27.

Multiple media reports have said a DHSC employee was the culprit who leaked photos via Instagram to an anti-lockdown activist.

The Guardian reported that the government ruled out a full-fledged inquiry, despite security issues with respect to the footage in public domain. It also said that the person who leaked the footage could be positioned as a whistle blower and claim protection therein.

Who is the new health secretary?

Sajid Javid, a member of the Conservative party, has been an MP for Bromsgrove since 2010. He served as Home Secretary during 2018-2019 and Chancellor of the Exchequer during 2019-2020. Born in a British Pakistani family, Javid was raised mostly in Bristol. He studied Economics and Politics at the University of Exeter. Earlier, he was the managing director at Deutsche Bank.

Javid said that the camera that caught Matt Hancock kissing his aide has been disabled; adding that he does not believe ministers' offices should have cameras.

(Edited by : Aditi Gautam)

First Published:Jun 29, 2021 10:15 PM IST