UK health department to investigate leak of Hancock footage, says minister

Britain's health ministry will investigate how a recording of former minister Matt Hancock kissing and embracing his aide was released to the media and forced his resignation, Northern Ireland minister Brandon Lewis said on Sunday.

"It is a matter I know the department of health will be looking into to understand exactly how that recording ... got out of the system," he told Sky News, adding that the ministry would be launching an internal investigation.

"What Matt did was wrong, he acknowledged that, it's why he apologised immediately for his behaviour and acknowledged what he did was wrong and it's ultimately why he's taken the decision that his position was untenable and distracting from the wider work we all have to do ... to move out of the pandemic."

Meanwhile, British former finance minister Sajid Javid will replace Matt Hancock as the country's health minister, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's office said on Saturday.

Earlier, UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock resigned after revelation that he himself violated coronavirus restrictions during an affair with his aide. Photos apparently showing him hugging and kissing the woman were published in a section of the media.

Hancock conceded he had let the public down after The Sun newspaper published a security camera photo. The image was reportedly obtained from a whistleblower showing him with the aide in his office on May 6.

Javid had resigned as finance minister last year after he refused to fire his political advisers as demanded by Johnson.

Hancock, the frontman for Britain's response to the pandemic, particularly the vaccine roll-out, quit in a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, reiterating his earlier apology.

"We owe it to people, who have sacrificed so much on this pandemic to be honest when we have let them down as I have done by breaching the guidance," he wrote.

Prime Minister Johnson said that he was 'sorry' to receive Hancock's resignation. He added that Hancock should be 'immensely proud' of his service.

Johnson had initially stood by Hancock after he admitted to have broken social distancing rules at a time when he was urging the public to stick by the measures, including curbs on funeral numbers.

Opposition parties had kept up the pressure on the government accusing it of hypocrisy over lockdown rule breaches. Many members of the public have been slapped with fines.

The main opposition Labour party said the government needed to answer questions about the undisclosed appointment of the aide, former lobbyist Gina Coladangelo, to Hancock's top advisory team.

Both she and Hancock are married, and first met at university.