By Emily Caulkett-
New leaked messages between Matt Hancock and officials reveals the then health secretary scrambling to save his career after footage emerged of his covid rule breaking snogg with aide Gina Coladangelo.
They are among the latest set of WhatsApp correspondence to emerge from the leak of more than 100,000 messages by excellent journalist Isabel Oakeshott to the Daily Telegraph.
The latest to be published centre on the hours after Hancock discovered that leaked footage reveals him breaching social distancing rules, would appear on the front page of the Sun in June 2021.
The WhatsApp messages were sent after The Sun newspaper published a photo of Mr Hancock kissing Gina Coladangelo.
When the photo was first published, 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 asks if another minister could emphasise that “no rules have been broken”.
Mr Poole asks 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 says: “Other than obviously the 1m+ I honestly can’t think of any.”
He adds: “The worst they can do is ‘kissed before they legalised hugs’.”
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.
He resigned as health secretary shortly afterwards.
The messages, published by the Telegraph, show Hancock discussing the guidance in place at the time and deciding what his initial response to media questions should be.
When the photo was first published, 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 asks if another minister could emphasise that “no rules have been broken”.
Mr Poole asks 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 says: “Other than obviously the 1m+ I honestly can’t think of any.”
He adds: “The worst they can do is ‘kissed before they legalised hugs’.”
A nervous Hancock asks a special adviser: “How bad are the pics?”
Told it’s a “snog and heavy petting”, he replies: “How the fuck did anyone photograph that?”
The messages also show the reaction of Hancock and Coladangelo to a video obtained by the Sun.
“OMFG,” Ms Coladangelo said.
Hancock said: “Crikey. Not sure there’s much news value in that and I can’t say it’s very enjoyable viewing.”
Former health secretary, Matt Hancock with then aide Gina Coladangelo outside the BBC’s offices.
In his diaries, worked on with Oakeshott and published last year, Hancock said that he resigned as health secretary after colleagues failed to defend him publicly.
According to the disgraced former Health Secretary, Boris Johnson. had assured him he could carry on even though he and Coladangelo had been pictured kissing in his office in breach of his own social-distancing guidelines.
After the story broke, Hancock said he found himself “increasingly isolated” politically and was left with no choice but to quit.
The messages show Hancock and his advisers discussing among themselves and liaising with No 10 about how to respond to the story, amid an unfolding political storm.
They also reveal that he asked his former mentor and ex-chancellor George Osborne for advice, as he prepared to resign.
Hancock recently appeared on I’m a Celebrity get me out of here, after being paid a fee of £320,00o for his stint in the jungle. The former Health Secretary said he donated £10,ooo to St Nichols Hospice in Suffolk and to the British Dyslexia Foundation.
It has been revealed that the shamed politician is no longer o the show’s whassap group