Gone in 79 seconds: Shame-faced Matt Hancock stars in an entirely different video to CCTV clinch to announce his resignation as Health Secretary
- Matt Hancock appeared downcast as he stood in front of some foliage in the clip
- In footage, he said ‘those of us who make these rules have got to stick by them’
- Video came in stark contract to steamy minute-long CCTV of him kissing aide
- Mr Hancock will be replaced by ex-chancellor and home secretary Sajid Javid
A shame-faced Matt Hancock has starred in an entirely different video to his CCTV clinch with married aide Gina Coladangelo to announce his resignation as Health Secretary.
Looking downcast while stood in front of some foliage in a clip posted to Twitter, Mr Hancock says ‘those of us who make these rules have got to stick by them’.
The footage came in stark contrast to the steamy minute-long CCTV of the 42-year-old kissing his adviser last month, which led to increasing pressure for him to quit over the breaking of social-distancing rules.
The Prime Minister said he was ‘sorry’ to receive Mr Hancock’s resignation on Saturday night and that he ‘should leave office very proud of what you have achieved – not just in tackling the pandemic, but even before Covid-19 struck us’.
Mr Hancock will be replaced by former chancellor and home secretary Sajid Javid, it has been announced.
A statement from 10 Downing Street said: ‘The Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of the Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.’
Looking downcast while stood in front of some foliage in a clip posted to Twitter, Matt Hancock says ‘those of us who make these rules have got to stick by them’
Starting his video, which lasts 79 seconds, Mr Hancock announces: ‘I’ve been to see the Prime Minister to resign as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
‘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’ve got to resign.’
He continues: ‘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 programme. And frankly everybody in this country who has risen to the challenges that we’ve seen over this past 18 months.
‘I’m very proud of what we’ve done to protect the NHS and the peak, to deliver that vaccine rollout – one of the fastest in the world.’
Mr Hancock concludes: ‘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.’
Boris Johnson had refused to sack Mr Hancock, with his spokesman saying the PM considered the matter closed after receiving the West Suffolk MP’s apology on Friday.
Starting his video, which lasts 79 seconds, Mr Hancock announces: ‘I’ve been to see the Prime Minister to resign as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care’
The footage came in stark contrast to the steamy minute-long CCTV of the 42-year-old kissing his married aide last month, which led to increasing pressure for him to quit over the breaking of social-distancing rules
But on Saturday Conservative MPs began to break ranks to call for Mr Hancock to go.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Hancock said: ‘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 guidance, and apologise to my family and loved ones for putting them through this. I also need to be with my children at this time.’
He said: ‘We owe it to people who have sacrificed so much in this pandemic to be honest when we have let them down as I have done by breaching the guidance.’
He paid tribute to NHS staff and Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) officials and admitted that ‘we didn’t get every decision right’.
n a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Hancock said: ‘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’
Mr Hancock will be replaced by former chancellor and home secretary Sajid Javid (pictured above), it has been announced
But he said: ‘I know people understand how hard it is to deal with the unknown, making the difficult trade-off between freedom, prosperity and health that we have faced.’
Mr Hancock’s three-year tenure as health secretary came to an end after The Sun newspaper published stills of what appeared to be CCTV footage from inside his ministerial office of him kissing Ms Coladangelo.
Ms Coladangelo, a friend from Mr Hancock’s days at Oxford University, was brought into DHSC as an unpaid adviser last year before being given the £15,000-a-year role of non-executive director in the department.
Legislation in place at the time said that ‘no person may participate in a gathering’ that ‘consists of two or more people… and takes place indoors’.
An exception to this rule was that the gathering was ‘reasonably necessary for work purposes or for the provision of voluntary or charitable ser
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