Hands, Face, Space? The Scandal Surrounding Matt Hancock

 Matt Hancock and aide Gina Coladangelo, photo by Henry Nicholls

 It has been a tumultuous week for the United Kingdom, starting when the Sun newspaper released a video of Health Secretary Matt Hancock, kissing one of his aides in his office. The press and social media have exploded in the U.K., but in the face of this scandal, the rest of the world must be wondering, what happened, and why is it so important?

 On June 25, 2021, British tabloid newspaper, The Sun, posted a video of the Health Secretary in a passionate exchange with his aide, Gina Coladangelo, who had been hired by Hancock a year before. Allegedly taken by an anonymous whistle-blower, concerns have mounted within the government surrounding how a Member of Parliament was filmed within his own office without his knowledge, with an investigation about to commence judging the potential lapse in security that made this and the leaking of the video possible.

 Both parties were married with children and the original article focussing on the scandal behind their affair, said that the pair had been “caught on camera in a steamy clinch at his Whitehall office” and “the Health Secretary had been spotted cheating on his wife of 15 years with married Ms Coladangelo”. Since it was brought to the attention of the public, the biggest concern has been Hancock’s blatant disregard for the lockdown measures that he helped to implement.

 On May 5, the date that the video is alleged to have been taken, the UK was only on its third step out of four on the roadmap out of coronavirus restrictions. At this point, it was still illegal for separate households to meet socially indoors. Citizens had been advised not to come within two meters of each other unless it was completely necessary. Although it was Boris Johnson who ultimately drafted these measures, Matt Hancock, as the minister in charge of the country’s health, was instrumental in advising him on which measures to put in place.

 U.K. residents, having faced coronavirus restrictions for over a year, were understandably outraged at the Health Secretary’s behavior. Likewise, MPs from the Conservatives, Hancock’s party, as well as from opposition parties, were disappointed by his actions, and called for him to resign from his post. They believed that the population would lose faith in the coronavirus restrictions and wonder why they have to follow the rules if those creating them do not. When asked about this, London Mayor, Sadiq Khan said “it makes it far more difficult for people to have confidence in people in positions of power and influence when these sorts of allegations are being made.” The situation has been compared to an earlier scandal in May 2020, when Dominic Cummings, an ex-senior aide to Downing Street, broke lockdown rules to travel to Barnard Castle, a town in the North of England.

 The Prime Minister accepted Hancock’s public apology for his behavior, and claimed that the matter was closed, dismissing claims that he would relieve the Health Secretary from his position. This is despite being personally written to by concerned members of the public about the double standards in terms of Covid-19 restrictions, as well as speculation about the circumstances under which Coladangelo was hired. In an official statement, Boris Johnson’s spoke-person implored the public to refer to Hancock’s apology, stating that “The health secretary set out that he accepted he breached the social distancing guidelines, and he has apologized for that. The prime minister has accepted the health secretary’s apology and considers the matter closed.” 

 Only a day after receiving support from the PM, on June 26, Matt Hancock resigned from his position within the government. This came after a humiliating 24 hours of news coverage and internet mockery, with thousands of memes being posted surrounding the scandal Hancock announced his resignation to the public in the form of a video, which he posted on Twitter. 

 In the video, he states “I understand the enormous sacrifices that everybody in this country has made, that you have made, and those of us who make these rules have got to stick by them and that's why I have got to resign. I want to thank people for their incredible sacrifices, and what they’ve done, everybody working in the NHS, across social care, everyone involved in the vaccine program and, frankly, everyone in this country who has risen to the challenges that we’ve seen over the past 18 months. I’m very proud of what we’ve done to protect the NHS at the peak, and to deliver that vaccine rollout – one of the fastest in the world – and I look forward to supporting the government and the Prime Minister from the backbenches, to make sure that we can get out of this pandemic, we’re so close to the end, and then build back better so that this country can fulfil its potential, which is so great. And I will do that with all of my heart.”

 After Matt Hancock’s resignation, the position of Health Secretary was vacant, and it has been filled by Sajid Javid. Javid has extensive experience of working in important government roles, having previously worked as the Chancellor, Home Secretary, Business Secretary, Housing Secretary and Culture Secretary. Hopefully, somebody with this much experience will not make the same mistakes as his predecessor. Expressing his potential for improving the country’s health, Javid said “We are still in a pandemic, and I want to see that come to an end as soon as possible, and that will be my most immediate priority, to see that we can return to normal as soon and as quickly as possible.