Love rat Matt Hancock has admitted his rule-breaking affair had a damaging impact on public confidence during the pandemic.
The former Health Secretary faced an excruciating grilling as he appeared at the Covid Inquiry today. He was forced to quit in June 2021 after he was caught breaching social distancing guidance by kissing his colleague Gina Coladangelo in his office.
Mr Hancock stayed in his job when CCTV footage first emerged, but stood down three days later amid public fury.
Hugo Keith KC, who is lead counsel at the Inquiry, told him yesterday: âI'm sure you acknowledge the incredible offence and upset that was caused by that revelation.â Mr Hancock said: âWhat I'd say is that the lesson for the future is very clear. It is important that those who make the rules abide by them and I resigned in order to take accountability for my failure to do that.â
Asked if that was because he understood the consequences of rule-breaking on public confidence, he said: âYes.â
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Mr Hancock and Ms Coladangelo were captured by a CCTV camera kissing in his office in the Department of Health on May 6, 2021. When the footage emerged he ended his 15-year marriage to his wife, Martha.
Mr Hancock attempted to salvage his reputation by appearing on ITV's I'm A Celebrity. He told his campmates: "It's obviously been really tough. I messed up and I fessed up. I resigned. It's no excuse but I fell in love, right?â In a book last year, Mr Hancock said confessing to his wife about the affair was the "very worst conversation of my life".
Mr Hancock is being quizzed for a second day at the Covid Inquiry. Yesterday he admitted "many, many" lives were lost as the UK went into lockdown three weeks later than it should have.
Follow the developments from the day in our liveblog below