'PULL THE PLUG'
Boris under pressure to sack Matt Hancock as Tories warn growing public anger could make it his ‘Barnard Castle moment’
BORIS Johnson is under pressure sack Matt Hancock today - as Tories warn public anger over his affair could make it another damaging "Barnard Castle moment".
Conservative MPs have bombarded party whips with complaints over the health secretary’s “hypocritical” behaviour and said the PM should “pull the plug”.
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A Cabinet source told that while Boris was currently “standing by” Mr Hancock, “it could unravel pretty quickly”.
The source added: "If there is a Barnard Castle moment, he is going to be under quite a lot of pressure.”
One Cabinet minister told The Telegraph Hancock’s behaviour reinforced a feeling of “us and them,” with politicians ignoring the rules they imposed on everyone else.
The minister added: "I don't know how he [Hancock] has got the energy – dealing with a pandemic and doing that on the side."
It comes as:
- The Sun published video of Hancock and aide Gina snogging after he checks the coast is clear
- Hancock and Gina were pictured enjoying a 'flirty' dinner date two weeks after their ministry smooch
- Gina packed her car and left her marital home
- Hancock's wife was spotted still wearing her wedding ring
- Police said they would not investigate him for breaching Covid laws
Another senior government source said public reaction was being monitored and could ultimately determine Mr Hancock’s fate.
The PM could be swayed by a Savanta ComRes snap poll last night that found the public wanted Mr Hancock to quit by a margin of 58 to 25.
A separate YouGov survey had the margin at 49 to 25.
Support for the embattled minister was said to be ebbing even in Downing Street last night, with one senior figure the apology he offered yesterday was "pathetic".
'GONE BY MONDAY'
Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: “It will all be down to public opinion – it’s the only thing No 10 cares about.
“They’re polling, focus-grouping all the time and if that starts showing the public want him out then he could be gone by Monday.”
Sayeeda Warsi, a former Conservative Party chairman, said: “It’s a bad decision by Matt and a bad decision by the PM.
“He’s got a huge amount of questions to answer in relation to Covid contracts, access to parliament, giving out jobs. Is there anything anybody could do any more which would make them resign?”
Meanwhile reports a well-placed source saying the PM is reluctant to sack Mr Hancock because he "doesn't want to go 'Back to Basics'."
It is a reference to the sleaze scandals that dogged John Major's government in the 1990s.
Two other senior Tories said Mr Hancock's future depends on whether there are more damaging revelations in the coming days.
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The Sun revealed yesterday the Health Secretary had been caught on CCTV in a steamy clinch with his aide Gina Coladangelo in his office on May 6.
When the pair were locked in a passionate embrace, hugging was banned under the coronavirus regulations, while socialising indoors between people from different households was illegal, apart from limited exceptions.
Barrister Adam Wagner, a Covid expert, told The Sun Hancock could be prosecuted over his steamy clinch.
Mr Wagner told The Sun: “For the Health Secretary there is no leeway - a Court would not give any leeway at all. It is Matt Hancock's name at the bottom of the laws and regulations.
“He cannot plead ignorance.
“He literally is the single person in the country who has no excuse whatsoever for breaking the laws. He made them.”
But the Met said they would not investigate him for breaching Covid laws.
The Health Secretary, 42, issued an apology for breaking social distancing guidelines and said he'd "let people down" - but did not publicly say sorry to his wife.
Boris Johnson attempted to bring an end to the scandal by saying the matter was now “closed”.
But last night The Sun revealed more details of the affair including video of Hancock checking the coast is clear in his office before Ms Coladangelo approaches him for an embrace.
The Sun also revealed the pair shared a cosy dinner date two weeks later on May 23 with diners describing them as “flirty” as they downed glasses of wine.
It also emerged that brazen Hancock was caught in a second steamy clinch with her in his office this week.
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Questions remain about Coladangelo’s appointment as a non-executive director at the Department of Health, paid £15,000 a year.
It has also emerged that Coladangelo's brother is an executive at a private healthcare company that has been awarded NHS contracts worth millions of pounds since she became an adviser to the Department of Health.
reported on Friday that Roberto Coladangelo is an executive at Partnering Health, which provides urgent and primary care services and has been awarded at least two NHS contracts.
A spokesman for Partnering Health said the company "has been operating for over 11 years and at all times has secured contracts through the robust tender and procurement processes put in place by local clinical commissioning groups. At no time have any contracts been awarded outside of these rigorous processes".
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In May last year Hancock said he was "speechless" at the "extraordinary" behaviour of Professor Neil Ferguson, who was revealed to have met his "lover" in his home in breach of social distancing rules.
Yesterday Tory peer Baroness Foster of Oxton accused Mr Hancock on Twitter of having "used emergency powers to impose these punitive restrictions leading to horrendous consequences across society without debate yet ignored them himself & at work!"
A senior Tory MP said: "I don't think his position is tenable – it is not the affair. It is when you are putting in regulations and advice for people to live their lives by, when you advocate for it or vote for it, you shape it and then you don't do so yourself.
"For the PM to say it is a closed matter ... When you start to make exceptions for special categories of people like international VIPs and government ministers, it risks throwing away the goodwill we built up because of the success of the vaccines programme.
"I am very surprised he has not simply resigned. What will follow from this is [whether there was any breach of] the ministerial code. He made that appointment as secretary of state."
A former Tory minister said Mr Johnson had to sack Hancock, saying: "His position is completely unsustainable. Boris has been through this before with Cummings and he lost an awful lot of political capital by supporting Cummings.
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"Boris cannot afford to expend any more political capital on Matt Hancock. We already know he thinks he is hopeless. Boris should make sure he leaves now – he should get rid. Boris is going to get slaughtered over this if he does not get rid of him.
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"What he can't afford is a re-run of Cummings. I am bracing myself for the avalanche of emails I am going to get from constituents asking 'why is the man still there?'. Boris should chop him immediately – today."
A Number 10 spokesman said the Prime Minister retained full confidence in Mr Hancock, but refused to confirm that the Health Secretary had not broken the law.
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