A VIDEO of Matt Hancock kissing an aide has been published amid allegations of an "affair" after stills from the CCTV clip were released hours before.
The footage obtained by The Sun appears to show the Health Secretary checking behind a door, before closing it and embracing Gina Coladangelo.
The pair hold hands, while they appear to deliberately stand in front of the door to stop anyone from entering.
Yesterday, Matt Hancock apologised for breaking social distancing guidance when kissing his aide on May 6, even though the law at the time suggests such gatherings were not allowed.
Legislation in place at the time stated 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 services”.
In a statement, Mr Hancock said: “I accept that I breached the social distancing guidance in these circumstances, I have let people down and am very sorry.
“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."
It is unclear whether Mr Hancock believes his embrace was part of a work meeting.
Guidance in place until May 17 also said people should continue to keep their distance from anyone not in their household or support bubble.
Labour Party chair Anneliese Dodds said if Mr Hancock had been secretly having a relationship with an adviser he appointed to a taxpayer-funded role, it was “a blatant abuse of power and a clear conflict of interest”.
She said his admission that he had breached the rules on social distancing meant his position in office was no longer tenable.
“He set the rules. He admits he broke them. He has to go. If he won’t resign, the PM should sack him,” she said.
Despite Mr Johnson’s determination to defend his minister, Labour insisted it would continue to pursue the matter and would not allow the Government simply to “cover it up”.
“Matt Hancock appears to have been caught breaking the laws he created while having a secret relationship with an aide he appointed to a taxpayer-funded job,” a spokeswoman said.
However, the Metropolitan Police said they were not investigating Mr Hancock.
A spokesman said: “As a matter of course, the MPS is not investigating Covid-related issues retrospectively.”
The force had also not launched any investigation into how the CCTV showing the embrace had been made public.
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