London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Apr 26, 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
Alberta's Push for Independence Raises Questions About Canada's National Unity
Virginia Giuffre, Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein accuser, dies by suicide
"China has survived for five thousand years, most of it without the United States as a market, and it can easily continue to survive without the U.S. market for another five thousand years — no problem," said a China analyst.
Elites vs. America: How Democrats Lost the Plot and the People
Pam Bondi Details Wisconsin Judge’s Actions Before Arrest: 'Can't Make This Up'
Not Child’s Play: How Competitive Gaming Became a Global Economic Empire
California Surpasses Japan to Become the World’s Fourth-Largest Economy
Peter Navarro: The Man Behind Trump’s Tariff Madness
Milwaukee Judge Arrested on Allegations of Aiding Undocumented Immigrant’s Escape
Former U.S. Congressman George Santos sentenced to eighty-seven months for wide-ranging fraud
Trump administration moves to BAN essentially ALL artificial food dyes in the USA food supply at RFK Jr.'s direction
Woman slaps man at sports game and gets herself and husband beat up
Pope Francis: head of the Catholic church who pushed for social and economic justice
China do not pay these tariffs - you pay it. This is new 145% tax you pay to the US government.
Nightlife in the streets of Manchester
In God We Profit
Cultural Battles in the Vatican: The Candidates in the Battle for the Holy See and Pope Francis's Testament
Global Leaders Pay Tribute to Pope Francis Following His Death
Wild Chimpanzees Observed Bonding Over Alcoholic Fruit
US Federal Reserve Chair Issues Warning on Tariff Impact
UK Prison Officers Demand Electric Stun Guns Amid Safety Concerns
China, China, China!
Australian National Charged as Mercenary for Fighting in Ukraine
Israel Considers Limited Strikes on Iran's Nuclear Facilities Amid Diplomatic Efforts
Prince Andrew Joins Royal Family Attends Easter Sunday Service at Windsor Castle
Saudi Arabia Offers Max Verstappen Unprecedented Deal to Join Aston Martin
Global Pistachio Shortage Amid Rising Demand for 'Dubai Chocolate'
Trump is assembling a coalition of Western leaders aligned with the MAGA vision, strengthening a unified front for global change
IMF Predicts No Global Recession Amid Trade Tensions
Here’s a police officer with a brilliant gift for swift education
"Some complain that we put thousands in prison. In reality, we set millions free."
This is Vienna, Austria in 2025.
Boeing Jet Returns to US from China Amid Tariff War
Canadian Federal Election: Candidates' Positions on US-Canada Relations and Donald Trump
Resentencing Hearing for Menendez Brothers Who Killed Their Parents Delayed Amid Legal Disputes
Australian Woman Gives Birth To Stranger's Baby In IVF Mix-up
US Sets Deadline for Russia-Ukraine Peace Deal Brokerage
Italy Introduces 'Sex Rooms' in Prisons for Inmates
California Launches Legal Challenge Against Trump Administration's Tariffs
"Groundless": China Dismisses Zelensky's Claims It's Supplying Arms To Russia
UK Psytrance Festival Cancelled Amid Local Protests Over Noise Concerns
French Far-Right Writer Renaud Camus Denied Entry to UK
UK Police Force Updates Search Policy for Trans Individuals in Custody
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Meets with Donald Trump to Discuss EU-US Trade Tensions
Canada's Federal Party Leaders Engage in Final Debate Ahead of General Election
Ukraine and US Sign Outline of Minerals Deal
Fast Food Chain Refuses to Apologize for Online Comment About Katy Perry's Space Voyage
New York Attorney General Letitia James Faces Criminal Referral for Alleged Mortgage Fraud
Mark Cuban admits support for Trump executive order: ‘Gotta be honest’
US Senator Meets with Deported Immigrant in El Salvador Amid Custody Dispute
×