"It's a matter for the police." These were the words of a "speechless" Matt Hancock, the UK's health minister, when being interviewed on British television about the discovery that a leading epidemiologist, Neil Ferguson, was having an extra-marital affair, breaking Covid-19 regulations that the scientist in question had helped draw up. The health secretary's comments mirrored the justifiable anger many felt at Mr Ferguson's actions, during a time when those sticking to coronavirus measures were unable to say goodbye to dying relatives, or attend the births of their children.
Mr Ferguson's affair, which came to light in May last year, has now been overshadowed by news that the minister himself has been doing the same with a colleague, Gina Coladangelo. Mr Hancock's actions broke Covid-19 regulations that were in place at the time and, in the minds of many, the high ethical standards to which ministers should be held.
Recent polls suggest the public is losing patience with Mr Hancock
News of the health secretary's actions will be devastating to his, and Ms Coladangelo's family, respectively – both are married with children. But the most serious repercussions could be to public health, as fatigued Britons start to see little reason to stick to regulations that are routinely ignored by those who created them. By doing what he did, Mr Hancock was either placing himself above the law, or making the assessment that his measures were ineffective and not worth obeying. Neither will go down well with the millions of people separated from loved ones for months.
Beyond health, the case has other details that could end Mr Hancock's political career. There are accusations that he broke the ministerial code on relationships, which requires a minister's professional dealings with colleagues to be "proper and appropriate", as well as the code on conflicts of interest. Mr Hancock, who has known Ms Coladangelo since university, is also accused of rewarding contracts and even jobs to personal acquaintances.
In normal times, a senior public official would justifiably be held to account for such actions. The breach seems even more egregious today, after months of Mr Hancock being one of the most recognisable faces of a government that is meting out the most severe changes to life in the UK since the Second World War.
Most politicians deserve credit for being a crucial part of response to the pandemic. Crises place huge stress on those responsible for public safety, and the burden of governing during one will always reveal a person's contradictions. Most in the UK seem to be tolerant of the difficult job facing the government. Despite a number of setbacks and poor decisions, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government remains popular, and has even climbed in opinion polls over the past few weeks. But the most recent polls could point to the public losing patience, particularly with Mr Hancock. A survey from pollster YouGov found that almost 50 per cent of participants thought he should resign. Only 25 per cent though he should remain in his role, with the remainder being unsure.
There has been much commentary in the UK about the extent to which the moral standards British voters demand of their politicians have changed in recent times. Thirty years ago, extra-marital affairs commonly led to immediate resignations. This rarely happens nowadays. But Mr Hancock's current situation shows something that remains as true as ever. Voters despise hypocrisy.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Fast%20X
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Louis%20Leterrier%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Vin%20Diesel%2C%20Michelle%20Rodriguez%2C%20Jason%20Statham%2C%20Tyrese%20Gibson%2C%20Ludacris%2C%20Jason%20Momoa%2C%20John%20Cena%2C%20Jordana%20Brewster%2C%20Nathalie%20Emmanuel%2C%20Sung%20Kang%2C%20Brie%20Larson%2C%20Helen%20Mirren%20and%20Charlize%20Theron%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Our legal advisor
Rasmi Ragy is a senior counsel at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Prosecutor in Egypt with more than 40 years experience across the GCC.
Education: Ain Shams University, Egypt, in 1978.
The Vines - In Miracle Land
Two stars
Match info
Newcastle United 1
Joselu (11')
Tottenham Hotspur 2
Vertonghen (8'), Alli (18')
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
ENGLAND TEAM
England (15-1)
George Furbank; Jonny May, Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell (capt), Elliot Daly; George Ford, Ben Youngs; Tom Curry, Sam Underhill, Courtney Lawes; Charlie Ewels, Maro Itoje; Kyle Sinckler, Jamie George, Joe Marler
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, George Kruis, Lewis Ludlam, Willi Heinz, Ollie Devoto, Jonathan Joseph
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 480hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 570Nm from 2,300-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.4L/100km
Price: from Dh547,600
On sale: now
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday
Saint-Etienne v Montpellier (10.45pm)
Saturday
Monaco v Caen (7pm)
Amiens v Bordeaux (10pm)
Angers v Toulouse (10pm)
Metz v Dijon (10pm)
Nantes v Guingamp (10pm)
Rennes v Lille (10pm)
Sunday
Nice v Strasbourg (5pm)
Troyes v Lyon (7pm)
Marseille v Paris Saint-Germain (11pm)
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Imperial%20Island%3A%20A%20History%20of%20Empire%20in%20Modern%20Britain
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Charlotte%20Lydia%20Riley%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Bodley%20Head%3Cbr%3EPages%3A%20384%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
