UK health minister quits for breaking virus rules

British health minister Matt Hancock quit on Saturday after he was caught breaking COVID-19 rules by kissing and embracing an aide in his office, enraging colleagues and the public who have been living under lockdown.

In the latest scandal to rock a government that has overseen one of the highest official death tolls from the pandemic, Hancock wrote to Prime Minister Boris Johnson to resign, saying he had let people down.

An increasing number of his fellow Conservative lawmakers had called for him to go after the Sun newspaper published photos on Friday of the married minister embracing a woman whom he had appointed to a taxpayer-funded role to scrutinize his department.

"Those of us who make these rules have got to stick by them and that's why I've got to resign," the 42-year-old said on Twitter. Hancock had been at the center of the government's fight against the pandemic, routinely appearing on television to tell people to follow strict rules and to defend his department against criticism of its response to the crisis.

He will be replaced by Sajid Javid, a former finance minister with widespread government experience but new to health. Javid will be tasked with helping the state-run health service recover from the pandemic and to deal with any future infection waves. Cases have started to rise in the last month.

Hancock's departure also marks an embarrassment for Johnson after he said on Friday that he had accepted Hancock's apology and considered the matter to be closed. 

"You should be immensely proud of your service," he wrote in reply to Hancock. "I am grateful for your support and believe that your contribution to public service is far from over."

The opposition Labor Party had also questioned whether Hancock had broken the ministerial code: The woman, a long-time friend, was appointed as a non-executive director to scrutinize the running of his department. Media reports said on Saturday she had quit.