HEALTH Secretary Matt Hancock has been having a secret affair with a close friend and aide.
He cheated on his wife with Gina Coladangelo, 43, who he hired last year with taxpayers’ money, as Covid gripped Britain.
He was seen kissing her at the Department of Health’s London HQ during office hours last month as the mutant strain began spreading.
A Whitehall whistleblower told The Sun it was “shocking that Mr Hancock was having an affair in the middle of a pandemic with an adviser and friend he used public money to hire”.
Last night, a friend of the Health Secretary said: “He has no comment on personal matters. No rules have been broken.”
Mr Hancock was pictured embracing his aide. The image was from just after 3pm on May 6 — as the rest of Westminster was engrossed by the local elections.
Read our Matt Hancock blog below for the latest news and updates…
- Joseph Gamp
MATT HANCOCK AND GINA USING WHITEHALL AS BASE FOR LIASONS
He has been privately canoodling with a glamorous pal he hired as his aide — in the very office from which he is meant to be leading Britain’s response to the virus.
After a meteoric rise through the backrooms of Westminster, he even had a tilt at the party leadership in 2019 — but bowed out to Boris Johnson after a poor show of support from colleagues.
Already in his third cabinet post, aged just 42, he has had a relatively blemish-free career until this year.
Like many a Tory MP before him, he drifted from an elite public school to Oxford to read philosophy, politics and economics — the training manual for Britain’s modern political class.
- Joseph Gamp
'CHUMOCRACY' CLAIMS
Mother-of-three Ms Coladangelo is communications director at Oliver Bonas, the fashion and lifestyle store founded by her husband Oliver Tress.
She is also a director and major shareholder at lobbying firm Luther Pendragon, which offers clients a “deep understanding of the mechanics of government”.
Mr Hancock secretly appointed her to his department as an unpaid adviser on a six-month contract in March last year.
- Joseph Gamp
PICTURED: MATT HANCOCK OUT AND ABOUT WITH HIS WIFE LAST MONTH
- Joseph Gamp
MATT HANCOCK’S JOB HANGS BY A THREAD
MATT Hancock’s career at the top of the Conservative Party was hanging by a thread last night as he was engulfed in a sleaze scandal.
The shock development follows a torrid 18 months for the Health Secretary in which he has been battling the Covid pandemic — even catching it himself last year.
Read more here.
- Joseph Gamp
SCANDAL COMES AFTER DOMINIC CUMMINGS' ASTONISHING TIRADE AGAINT HEALTH SECRETARY
Former No10 adviser Dominic Cummings also launched an astonishing tirade against Mr Hancock’s handling of the crisis.
Mr Cummings, 49, suggested the health supremo should have been sacked for dozens of failures and had lied to the Prime Minister on multiple occasions.
Mr Hancock has repeatedly challenged Mr Cummings to present evidence for his claims and appeared to have toughed out the row.
Boris Johnson had thrown a supportive arm around his embattled cabinet colleague, but faces a tough decision in light of The Sun’s bombshell revelations.
Word of the affair has been circulating within the department with colleagues openly discussing the situation on WhatsApp.
- Joseph Gamp
HOW DID HANCOCK AND COLADANGELO MEET?
The pair first met at Oxford University in the early 2000s but Mr Hancock went on to wed Martha Hoyer Millar in 2006.
The Hancocks remain married and have three children.
- Joseph Gamp
'I WORK ALONGSIDE SOME BRILLIANT WOMEN '
- Joseph Gamp
AFFAIR WILL RAISE QUESTIONS ON HANCOCK'S FOCUS ON PANDEMIC
The office where the tryst happened is where Mr Hancock famously hangs his Damien Hirst portrait of the Queen.
The affair will inevitably raise questions about his focus on the UK’s virus battle after he was accused of “lies” over his handling of the pandemic.
He stands accused of failing care home patients with botched testing, wasting billions on a bungled Test and Trace rollout and squandering millions on PPE contracts which failed to deliver.
- Joseph Gamp
COLADANGELO'S HIRING WAS 'MADE IN THE USUAL WAY AND FOLLOWED CORRECT PROCEDURE', SAYS DHSC
In September, Mr Hancock appointed her as a non-executive director at DHSC, making her a powerful member of the department’s oversight board.
It hit the headlines as there was no public record of the appointment, which was set to see her earn at least £15,000 of taxpayers’ money, potentially rising by a further £5,000.
The role makes her responsible for “overseeing and monitoring performance” — in effect, scrutinising matters of concern to Mr Hancock.
A DHSC spokesman said the appointment was “made in the usual way and followed correct procedure”.
It is also understood that since April, she has had a parliamentary pass, giving her unregulated access to the Palace of Westminster.
- Joseph Gamp
PICTURED: MATT HANCOCK AND GINA COLADANGELO SHARE STEAMY KISS IN WHITEHALL
- Joseph Gamp
HANCOCK AND COLADANGELO TRIED TO KEEP AFFAIR SECRET SAYS SOURCE
The source said: “They have tried to keep it a secret but everyone knows what goes on inside a building like that.
“I’m just amazed he was so brazen about it as he was the Secretary of State.
"It has also shocked people because he put her in such an important, publicly-funded role and this is what they get up to in office hours when everyone else is working hard.”
- Joseph Gamp
WHEN DID THE PICTURED KISS TAKE PLACE?
Mr Hancock was pictured embracing his aide. The image was from just after 3pm on May 6 — as the rest of Westminster was engrossed by the local elections.
- Joseph Gamp
REGULAR CLINCHES
Mr Hancock is seen checking the corridor is clear before closing the door and then leaning on it to ensure he cannot be disturbed.
Ms Coladangelo then walks towards him and the pair begin their passionate embrace.
According to a whistleblower, who used to work at the department, the pair have regularly been caught in clinches together.
- Joseph Gamp
HANCOCK HAS 'NO COMMENT ON PERSONAL MATTERS'
Last night, a friend of the Health Secretary said: “He has no comment on personal matters. No rules have been broken.”
Mr Hancock was pictured embracing his aide. The image was from just after 3pm on May 6 — as the rest of Westminster was engrossed by the local elections.
- Joseph Gamp
STEAMY CLINCH TOOK PLACE IN WHITEHALL OFFICE
Mr Hancock, 42, and millionaire lobbyist Gina were caught on camera in a steamy clinch at his Whitehall office.
Whistleblowers revealed the Health Secretary had been spotted cheating on his wife of 15 years with married Ms Coladangelo.
He was seen kissing her at the Department of Health’s London HQ during office hours last month as the mutant strain began spreading.
- Joseph Gamp
WHITEHALL WHISTLEBLOWER: SHOCKING HANCOCK WAS AFFAIR IN MIDDLE OF PANDEMIC
A Whitehall whistleblower told The Sun it was “shocking that Mr Hancock was having an affair in the middle of a pandemic with an adviser and friend he used public money to hire”.
- Joseph Gamp
MATT HANCOCK's SECRET AFFAIR REVEALED
HEALTH Secretary Matt Hancock has been having a secret affair with his closest aide, The Sun can reveal today.
He cheated on his wife with Gina Coladangelo, 43, who he hired last year with taxpayers’ money, as Covid gripped Britain.
Read more here.
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