Matt Hancock affair

[TheoMeo]

AIBU to be utterly peed off that another one of our Ministers - rather than devoting his time and effort to getting the country out of this mess - is busy carrying on with an aide (which he appointed at great expense to the tax payer) - aaaaaaag.
www.thesun.co.uk/

BJ "considers the matter closed". I bet he does.

@GreatBigBird

Another press conference in Downing Street gardens to discuss breaching covid rules?

He was testing his eye sight and as health minister investigating for traces of Covid - obviously! Got to keep Covid secure and follow those rules! So remember the new Covid rules are… hands face s̷p̷a̷c̷e̷ arse.

I suspect he's had more than egg on his face!

Stop it, just stop it. There is not enough brain bleach, I've used up so much reading this thread.

@Pazuzu

I wonder just how many of the people screaming from the roof tops for his head have followed the rules as scrupulously as they're expecting him to?

Very good point; the majority of my ( middle class, well educated) friends admit to breaking the rules. Many had family to stay over Christmas, were in bubbles with several groups, had a son/daughter stay overnight.. I know very few who kept religiously to the rules unless suffering serious health issues.

Love that Johnson is 'standing by' him whilst no doubt eagerly awaiting the next Hancock exposé

It also bothers me a lot that there are pictures of his poor wife in the papers. She has every right to digest her grief in private. I see the aide's husband is afforded that courtesy at least, no pictures of him in sunglasses looking like he's going through hell.

Hancock can’t be sacked over this because Boris set the bar for marital misbehaviour so very low. He can’t resign either because that would suggest he thinks marital misbehaviour is a resignation matter and that would also undermine Boris. Hancock is between a rock and a hard place.
Watch the Tories get yet another bounce in the polls next week. People are desperate to keep them in office and respond to any perceived risk by strongly reinforcing their support. It’s nuts.

@Blinkingbatshit

If you’re going to fire Matt Hancock for adultery then you’re going to have to fire Boris too, the man has (approximately!) SEVEN children, over half of whom were born as the result of an affair….. why on Earth do the British public have such double standards?

Exactly this. It’s sickening yet he gets away with it!!

Hancock was adamant that Professor Ferguson should resign for carrying on an affair during lockdown, and I don't recall Ferguson paying his girlfriend a very hefty salary from public funds.

@OliviaWainright

YUBU linking to The Sun ;) ;)

What is royally pissing me off, is all the press are "oh no, he didn't observe social distancing". Seriously, that's the WORST they're getting out of this?

It's not illegal to cheat on your spouse. At that time it was illegal to get close enough to someone not in your household or bubble to share saliva. In fact it may still be, or is it now just guidance. I suspect while he was doing that many of us were unable to hug our family and friends.

@Applesonthelawn

It also bothers me a lot that there are pictures of his poor wife in the papers. She has every right to digest her grief in private. I see the aide's husband is afforded that courtesy at least, no pictures of him in sunglasses looking like he's going through hell.

Yes this bothers me too. She's none nothing yet she's the one all over the websites.

"and lord only knows how he managed to attract more than one woman."

well it is exactly the naievity of this which allows almost all married men to have affairs.

For many many women the one and only aphrodisiac they need is power and/or money. It really is totally irrelevant to many many women what the man looks like, what his marriage/family status is, whether it would be "wrong" or otherwise to get involved.
All entirely irrelevant. And the vast majority of men know this and at some point or another use it to their advantage.

I am not playing devils advocate or trying to be inflammatory when I say this.

This lot make Francis Urquhart look upstanding.

He's most likely clocked that being a lying, cheating weasel is a pre-requisite for the top job. He's calculated that Boris Johnson is going to ditch the PM job before too long, and he's throwing his hat into the ring early, by ensuring he's got a few sex scandals under his belt before going for it. Tory membership seem to like that in their leader.

Hancock acts like he's unsackable and he's probably right. He's always acted with contempt. A naive fall guy he's not. He's survived much worse scandals and he'll get through this as well. If he was being set up, surely the care homes fiasco or the PPE contracts would've been the perfect chance to finish him off. But Boris has his back for whatever reason. And if it ever comes a point that he is sacked, it will be very handy for him to be seen as the fall guy who was set up. I bet he knows where the bodies are buried (being the minister of death that he is).

OMG - Boris is refusing to comment, Hancock is going to get away with it, bxxxxxxd

@Blinkingbatshit

If you’re going to fire Matt Hancock for adultery then you’re going to have to fire Boris too, the man has (approximately!) SEVEN children, over half of whom were born as the result of an affair….. why on Earth do the British public have such double standards?

He wouldn’t be fired for adultery but for breaching COVID rules, as the health secretary actively advocating for people to follow the guidelines…surely it’s not a minor issue ?

And people still trust those in high office.
It is hilarious.

Anyone thinks puppet master Dom Cunning had set this up or at least introduced the possibilities? He must have cooperative CCTV operators on board!

Waiting for the next episode in this circus soap opera as every time they move their lips we need a lie defector truth translater.

No surprise if this adds to their Teflon party electoral support bounce!

How can Boris sack him? He hasn't done anything unique in that particular government. And this is the problem - no one has any moral authority. And we have a very poor opposition party

@TheoMeo

OMG - Boris is refusing to comment, Hancock is going to get away with it, bxxxxxxd

Why would Bojo comment other than say - should do better follow my lead as I’m the expert in this field!

@heathspeedwell

Hancock was adamant that Professor Ferguson should resign for carrying on an affair during lockdown, and I don't recall Ferguson paying his girlfriend a very hefty salary from public funds.

And he wasn’t even having an affair

He was unmarried and in a relationship with a woman who was in an open relationship

The amount of pictures there are of them together as far back as 3 years ago is laughable. Walking about like a couple in plain sight and no one suspected it. He’s been paying this girlfriend and no doubt paying for hotels etc for the two of them to go to using tax payers money. You don’t just full on kiss someone like that at your work as a one off 🙈 Boris considers the matter closed. I’d imagine he has dirt on Boris and would throw him under the bus if he didn’t! Can’t believe these people are genuinely ‘running’ the country!

Johnson "considers the matter closed". The arrogance is breathtaking.

@MrsHuntGeneNotJeremyObviously

How can Boris sack him? He hasn't done anything unique in that particular government. And this is the problem - no one has any moral authority. And we have a very poor opposition party

You're clearly right on the moral authority point, but re nothing unique, Hancock is so far the only one known to have appointed an old pal highly influential lobbyist to a senior departmental role then felt them up in the office, isn't he? Although we don't know what else there is yet to come out...