In an open letter to the Prime Minister, Matt Hancock has tendered his resignation as Health Secretary following the discovery that he broke the COVID-19 regulation that he set.
This follows revelations published on the front page of the Sun newspaper on Friday morning, showing the now-former Health Secretary on CCTV kissing a colleague back in May.
The MP also posted a video announcing his resignation on his Twitter account.
The letter addressed to the Prime Minister reads: “I am writing to resign as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
“We have worked so hard as a country to fight the pandemic. The last thing I would want is for my private life to distract attention from the single-minded focus that is leading us out of this crisis.
“I want to reiterate my apology for breaking the guidance and apologise to my family and loved ones for putting them through this. I also need to be with my children at this time.
“We owe it to people who have sacrificed so much in this pandemic lo be honest when we have let them down as I have done by breaching the guidance.
“The NHS Is the best a nation has ever given itself, and the dedication and courage of the NHS staff and the ceaseless work of the officials in the Department is something we should all be proud of. We didn’t get every decision right but I know people understand how hard it is to deal with the unknown, making the difficult trade-offs between freedom, prosperity and health that we have faced.
“I am so proud that Britain avoided the catastrophe of an overwhelmed NHS and that through foresight and brilliant science we have led the world In the vaccination effort, so we stand on the brink of a return to normality.
“The reforms we have started in the health system will ensure it continues to provide even better care for people in years to come. We are building a better NHS which makes smarter use of technology and forming a new UK Health Security Agency, delivering positive changes to mental health care and will the problems in social care once and for all.
“Many limes I stood at the podium in Downing Street and thanked the team my own the NHS. the volunteers, the Armed Services, our pharmacists GPs, the pharmaceutical industry and the whole British public who have made such sacrifices to help others. Those thanks are heartfelt and sincere and so I must resign.
“It has been the honour of my life to serve in your Cabinet as Secretary of State and I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved. I will of course continue to support you in whatever way l can from the back benches and I would like to thank you for your unwavering support, your leadership and your optimism, particularly as we worked together to overcome this disease.”
