UK health secretary resigns after violating own COVID-19 rules during work affair with aide

Hancock's resignation comes after The Sun published an image of him kissing his married aid Gina Coladangelo inside the Department of Health on May 6. Both Coladangelo and Hancock are married with three kids. Hancock released a video and a resignation letter in which he apologized to the public and his family.

Hancock, who has led most of Britain's strictest COVID-19 restrictions, was caught red handed when he was maskless and making out with one of the Department of Health's top bureaucrats. Coladangelo was serving as non-executive director of the Department of Health until she resigned this week.

Sources told BBC News that Hancock was not pushed out by Prime Minister Boris Johnson but felt the pressure to resign from all sides including Conservative MPs.

Hancock said on Twitter: "I have been to see the Prime Minister to resign as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. I understand the enormous sacrifices that everybody in this country has made, that you have made, and those of us who make these rules have got to stick by them and that's why I have got to resign."

In his resignation letter, Hancock, who was Health Secretary for three years, restated his apology for "breaking the guidance" and he apologized to his family for "putting them through this." Johnson released a statement saying Hancock "should leave office very proud of what you have achieved - not just in tackling the pandemic, but even before Covid-19 struck us," adding: "I am grateful for your support and believe that your contribution to public service is far from over."

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer tweeted: "Matt Hancock is right to resign. But Boris Johnson should have sacked him."

Tory MP Andrew Bridgen told the BBC News that a "sizeable minority or even a majority of the public no longer had confidence in Matt Hancock."