Should Matt Hancock resign? Mail readers have their say on Health Secretary's job

As pressure grows for Health Secretary Matt Hancock to resign after photographs emerged of him kissing an aide, readers have shared their views on whether or not he should leave his position.
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The minister this week issued an apology for breaching “the social distancing guidance” and said he was “very sorry” following the publication of pictures in The Sun newspaper on Friday, June 25, which showed him kissing Gina Coladangelo.

A video of Mr Hancock in an embrace with Mrs Coladangelo, an aide at the Department for Health and Social Care, was also published on Friday.

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In a statement that same day, Mr Hancock said: “I accept that I breached the social distancing guidance in these circumstances, I have let people down and am very sorry.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock outside 10 Downing Street on June 9. Picture: Rob Pinney/Getty Images.Health Secretary Matt Hancock outside 10 Downing Street on June 9. Picture: Rob Pinney/Getty Images.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock outside 10 Downing Street on June 9. Picture: Rob Pinney/Getty Images.

“I remain focused on working to get the country out of this pandemic, and would be grateful for privacy for my family on this personal matter.”

Following his statement, a Downing Street spokesman said Prime Minister Boris Johnson accepted the apology and “considers the matter closed”.

Calls for Mr Hancock to go have continued, with more than 200 Mail readers sharing their opinions on our Facebook page.

Here are some of your comments:

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Helen Coughlan: “No, he shouldn't be given the opportunity, he should be sacked!”

Donna Passfield: “Yes totally! Any person in Government/Parliament not doing what they are telling us to do, should not be there.”

Barbara Holman: “I have to say no. What he does in his private life is up to him and his wife and family. We are not all perfect are we?”

Michael Trueman: “If Hancock gets fired. Who's going to want the Health Secretary job in the middle of a world pandemic?”

Jean Turner: “No, he's only human like you and I.”

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Mike Wilson: “Of course he should, nobody is going to take any notice of him now.”

Jo Tyler: “I couldn't give a monkey's who he snogs, but when that snog comes with a massive dose of hypocrisy, then yes, he should go.”

Geraldine Pearce: “Without a shadow of a doubt.”

Andrea Cooper: “No, only human like the rest of us and with what’s gone on, does it really matter to any of us what he gets up to?”

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