Matt Hancock has apologised after pictures emerged of the Tory minister appearing to kiss one of his advisers.
The dad-of-three has been accused of having an affair with Gina Coladangelo, who was appointed in his office at the Department for Health and Social Care within the UK Government.
Opposition politicians have called for Hancock to step down after leaked CCTV images showed the pair sharing a kiss inside his office in Whitehall.
The images were also said to have been taken on May 6 when strict social distancing rules on hugging people from different households was in force, reports the Mirror.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that he considers the matter “closed” after Hancock said that he was “very sorry” for the incident.
Who is Gina Coladangelo?
Mrs Coladangelo and her husband, Oliver Bonas founder Oliver Tress, have three children.
She is a communications director of Oliver Bonas and director and a major shareholder of the London-based lobbying and public relations firm Luther Pendragon, which offers clients a “deep understanding of the mechanics of government”.
Mrs Coladangelo, reported to be a millionaire, and Mr Hancock met at the student radio station at Oxford University in the early 2000s.
She spoke to BBC Radio 4 for a profile of Mr Hancock last year, saying: “We met at the student radio station, Oxygen FM. I read the news and Matt read the sport.
"I’ve always joked with him that he did the sport because he wasn’t good enough to do the news, but I think it gave him a bit of an early head’s up into aggressive questioning from journalists and hacks.”
Mr Hancock previously faced questions over claims he "secretly" appointed Mrs Coladangelo as an unpaid adviser to the Department of Health and Social Care on a six-month contract in March last year.
She was appointed as a non-executive director at the department in September, meaning she is a member of the board.
The Mirror understands Mrs Coladangelo is paid £15,000 a year in that role, in which she sits on the department’s board alongside top experts including Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty.
Because she was only appointed in the last year, her pay has not yet been published in annual accounts, but non-executive board members have previously received around £15,000 a year in fees and it’s understood she is in the same situation.
A Department of Health spokesperson said the appointment was “made in the usual way and followed correct procedure”.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told Sky News that Mrs Coladangelo would have gone through an “incredibly rigorous” process to get the job, as he declined to comment the an “entirely personal” matter.
Claims of 'chumocracy' emerged in November when it was revealed Mrs Coladangelo was attending confidential meetings.
She has been spotted leaving No10 with the Health Secretary on a number of occasions.
It is alleged she has a parliamentary pass, giving her unregulated access to the Palace of Westminster.
A source told the Sunday Times last year: "Before Matt does anything big, he'll speak to Gina. She knows everything."
Another added: “She has access to lots of confidential information.”
Mrs Coladangelo's LinkedIn states she has to "oversee and monitor performance" in her role as a non-executive director at the Department of Health.
The page states: "I have over twenty years' experience in business management and marketing and communications, with a focus on retail, healthcare, the third sector and energy."
The Mirror has attempted to contact Mrs Coladangelo for comment.
