British health minister resigns amid mistress scandal

UK HEALTH Secretary Matt Hancock has resigned after photos of him kissing his mistress were published. This is reported by the Russian service of the BBC.

On June 25, the British tabloid The Sun published a picture of Hancock kissing his girlfriend from his Oxford days, Gina Coladangelo. Judging by the photo, the couple was photographed in the office of the Ministry of Health.

Both Hancock and Coladangelo have families and children. However, the British public was outraged not by the fact of extramarital affairs, but by the fact that the minister kissed his mistress in the midst of anti-coronavirus restrictions this year. Adding to the scandal of the situation was the fact that Hancock hired Coladangelo as a personal assistant on a voluntary basis, and later appointed her to the board of the Ministry of Health.

“Scandal is not only a matter of morality and morality. Throughout the pandemic, Hancock has repeatedly said that the citizens of the kingdom must maintain social distance, especially in public spaces, ”the publication notes.

Hancock himself, in his resignation letter sent to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, said that he would not want his personal life to distract from the country's main task - to get out of the crisis caused by the covid-19 pandemic .

“I apologize for breaking the rules, I apologize to my family and loved ones for subjecting them to this test. In addition, at such a time I have to be with my children, ”the HEAD of the Ministry of Health wrote.

Later, the office of the British Prime Minister announced that Hancock's place would be replaced by former finance minister and former interior minister Sajid Javid. "The Queen is pleased to endorse Javid's candidacy for appointment as head of the Ministry of Health and Welfare," the office said in a statement.

Javid was the head of the British Home Office in 2018-2019, after which he headed the Ministry of Finance. He left this post in February 2020, the ministry was headed by Rishi Sunak. After leaving office, Javid was a member of the House of Representatives in the Conservative caucus.