Mr. Hancock, who spearheaded the country’s pandemic response, was the latest member of the government to be accused of violating coronavirus restrictions. …
LONDON — Britain’s embattled health minister, Matt Hancock, resigned on Saturday, a day after a tabloid newspaper published photos of him in a steamy embrace with one of his senior aides — an apparent violation of Britain’s social-distancing guidelines.
Mr. Hancock, who spearheaded Britain’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, was the latest member of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government to be accused of violating the strict rules imposed on the rest of the country.
“I understand the enormous sacrifices that everybody in this country has made — that you have made,” a chastened-looking Mr. Hancock said in a video statement released on Saturday evening. “Those of us who make these rules have got to stick by them, and that’s why I’ve got to resign.”
Initially, Mr. Hancock refused to step down and had the backing of Mr. Johnson. But with at least one Conservative member of Parliament demanding his resignation, and newspapers full of stories about double standards for the political elite, Mr. Hancock concluded his position had become untenable.
In a letter to the prime minister, Mr. Hancock wrote, “The last thing I would want is for my private life to distract attention from the single-minded focus that is leading us out of this crisis.” Mr. Hancock, who is married, apologized to his family and said he needed to be with his three children.
Mr. Johnson appointed Sajid Javid, a former chancellor of the Exchequer, to replace Mr. Hancock.
It was a swift fall from grace for an ambitious, 42-year-old cabinet minister, who had become a familiar figure over the long months of the pandemic. Mr. Hancock was a fixture at Downing Street news conferences, often exhorting the public to
