London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jun 20, 2025

Matt Hancock's reaction to photo of kiss with aide revealed in text leak

Matt Hancock's reaction to photo of kiss with aide revealed in text leak

Matt Hancock and his staff agonised for hours over whether or not he broke Covid guidance when he kissed his aide, leaked messages in the Telegraph show.

The WhatsApp messages were sent after the Sun newspaper published a photo of Mr Hancock kissing Gina Coladangelo.

His spokesman said there was "nothing new" in the messages and "absolutely no public interest" in publishing them.

"It's highly intrusive, completely inappropriate and has all been discussed endlessly before," he added.

The spokesman said the public coronavirus inquiry had been given access to all the messages.

The BBC has not seen or independently verified the messages nor the context in which they were sent.

In another exchange, the former health secretary criticised the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, texting that it was "causing problems" in areas with high rates of Covid cases.

The latest 41-hour WhatsApp exchange details how the ex-health secretary and Ms Coladangelo were left reeling as the revelations unfolded.

The Sun reported that its pictures of Mr Hancock and Ms Coladangelo, both who were married at the time and each with three children, were taken inside the Department of Health on 6 May 2021.

Their liaison provoked strong fury as it showed that Mr Hancock had broken his own lockdown restrictions, which were introduced to curb the spread of Covid.

As he awaited the publication of the photos, he texted a special adviser, asking: "How bad are the pics?"

Reacting to the video of him and the former aide kissing obtained by the Sun, Mr Hancock then said: "Crikey. Not sure there's much news value in that and I can't say it's very enjoyable viewing."

The messages show Mr Hancock asked his special adviser at the time Damon Poole to "keep the focus" on Ms Coladangelo's appointment.

Ms Coladangelo worked as a paid adviser for the government, acting as a non-executive director at the Department of Health and Social Care at the time.

The then health secretary also asked if another minister could emphasise that "no rules have been broken".

Mr Poole asked Mr Hancock and Ms Coladangelo to think "really hard" about whether they could have broken any Covid rules.

Referring to the social distancing rule to keep 1m apart from others when 2m was not possible, Mr Hancock said: "Other than obviously the 1m+ I honestly can't think of any."

He added: "The worst they can do is 'kissed before they legalised hugs'."

But then Mr Hancock asked his adviser to clarify what exactly the rules were at the time of the photograph.

The two of them then exchanged plans for how they could respond to media coverage.

This ranged from acknowledging he "breached the social distancing rules" - which Matt Hancock said he didn't think he could do, adding, "I think I just went against the clinical advice" - to saying that "no rules were broken".

In one exchange, Matt Hancock cited social distancing guidance for workers at the time saying that workers should "maintain social distancing guidelines wherever possible", to which his adviser responded: "Yes, but it was possible. Clearly. From the picture."

And in a separate published exchange, Matt Hancock sought the advice of the former chancellor George Osborne about a video statement he was due to put out announcing his resignation.

Mr Osborne said it was "good" but suggests he probably wants to "include the apology to your loved ones you have in the letter".

He eventually resigned over the matter, publishing a video on his Twitter page.

Jo Tanner, a former adviser to Boris Johnson, said that politicians have a tendency to "think they're a bit superhuman" when they are asked to apologise for their actions.

"People in these roles can be quite bullish... so actually getting them to be human can be quite a challenge," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "They almost think that they're a bit superhuman and they can get away with it.

"You can see a bit of that in the approach Matt Hancock was taking."


Eat Out to Help Out row


In a separate leaked conversation, Mr Hancock criticised Rishi Sunak's Eat Out to Help Out scheme, dubbing it "eat out to help the virus get about".

The Treasury paid £840m to fund the scheme in August 2020, which offered 50% off food and drink as part of then-Chancellor Mr Sunak's economic recovery plan after the end of the first Covid lockdown.

In the WhatsApp message exchange from the month of the launch, Mr Hancock said the scheme was "causing problems in our [intervention] areas" - areas that were under additional government restrictions because they had a higher number of Covid cases.

Mr Hancock said "I've kept it out of the news, but it's serious", in messages to the then Downing Street permanent secretary Simon Case.

Asked by Mr Case whether he had told Mr Sunak this, Mr Hancock replied: "Yes we've told Treasury - we've been protecting them in the comms & thankfully it's hasn't bubbles up."

He later said he used the scheme and was "thanked by the other diners".

Jonathan Ashworth, who was shadow health secretary at the time, accused the government of "covering up" the scheme, exacerbating the spread of Covid in his constituency.

The MP for Leicester South tweeted: "They covered it up but the truth is Sunak's schemes meant more restrictions and a longer Leicester lockdown." Leicester was the first UK city to be put under local lockdown, with tough restrictions lasting months.

In response to the latest Eat Out to Help Out messages, Mr Hancock said: "There is absolutely no public interest case for this huge breach.

"All the materials for the book have already been made available to the Inquiry, which is the right, and only, place for everything to be considered properly and the right lessons to be learned.

"As we have seen, releasing them in this way gives a partial, biased account to suit an anti-lockdown agenda."

Meanwhile, the information commissioner has warned that the use of WhatsApp by ministers and officials in Whitehall poses risks for transparency.

Writing in the Telegraph, John Edwards said there was nothing necessarily wrong with the use of WhatsApp but it "exposes how WhatsApp messages were used to discuss and decide key government business during the pandemic".

He added: "It also underlines the importance of maintaining a public record of these private transcripts for transparency, accountability and lesson learning in the future.

"The risk is that decision-making made via WhatsApp risks being lost from the public record if it is not properly recorded and stored."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
UK Home Secretary Apologizes Over Child Grooming Failures
Trump Organization Launches 5G Mobile Network and Golden Handset
Towcester Hosts 2025 English Greyhound Derby Amid Industry Scrutiny
Gary Oldman and David Beckham Knighted in King's Birthday Honours
Over 30,000 Lightning Strikes Recorded Across UK During Overnight Storms
Princess of Wales Returns to Public Duties at Trooping the Colour
Red Arrows Use Sustainable Fuel in Historic Trooping the Colour Flypast
Former Welsh First Minister Addresses Unionist Concerns Over Irish Language
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
France Bars Israeli Arms Companies from Paris Defense Expo
King Charles Leads Tribute to Air India Crash Victims at Trooping the Colour
Jack Pitchford Embarks on 200-Mile Walk to Support Stem Cell Charity
Surrey Hikers Take on Challenge of Climbing 11 Peaks in a Single Day
UK Deploys RAF Jets to Middle East Amid Israel-Iran Tensions
Two Skydivers Die in 'Tragic Accident' at Devon Airfield
Sainsbury's and Morrisons Accused of Displaying Prohibited Tobacco Ads
UK Launches National Inquiry into Grooming Gangs
Families Seek Closure After Air India Crash
Gold Emerges as Global Safe Haven Amid Uncertainty
Trump Reports $57 Million Earnings from Crypto Venture
Trump's Military Parade Sparks Concerns Over Authoritarianism
Nationwide 'No Kings' Protests Challenge Trump's Leadership
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Trump's Anti-War Stance Tested Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
Germany Holds First Veterans Celebration Since WWII
U.S. Health Secretary Dismisses CDC Vaccine Advisory Committee
Minnesota Lawmaker Melissa Hortman and Husband Killed in Targeted Attack; Senator John Hoffman and Wife Injured
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
×