‘I hope my camera is on, is my camera on? I mean, the one on my laptop, not the one in the ceiling.’
New Health Secretary Sajid Javid has cracked a joke at Matt Hancock’s expense after his predecessor was caught in a passionate clinch with an aide in his office.
Married dad-of-three Mr Hancock resigned after being filmed kissing aide Gina Coladangelo during a time when people were ordered to social distance from family and friends.
Sitting in Mr Hancock’s old office for an online conference on Thursday, Mr Javid quipped: ‘I hope my camera is on, is my camera on? I mean, the one on my laptop, not the one in the ceiling.’
Mr Javid has previously praised Mr Hancock, saying: ‘I think Matt Hancock worked incredibly hard. He achieved a lot and I’m sure he will have more to offer in public life’.
The Government launched an investigation into CCTV cameras at Downing Street after footage of Mr Hancock and his ‘secret lover’ was leaked to The Sun.
Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove put the probe down to security concerns.
He told the Commons: ‘It is the case that the permanent secretary in the Cabinet Office and the head of the Government Security Group are looking at precisely this question because… it has a bearing on the security of Government business and indeed the possibility of malicious actors abroad or elsewhere, who may wish to use information garnered in that way to work against the interests of all our citizens.’
Health minister Lord Bethell is currently under investigation for sponsoring Ms Coladangelo’s parliamentary pass.
It seems the repercussions of Mr Hancock’s scandal are far from over as Boris Johnson continues to face questions over why he didn’t sack him.
Labour MP Chris Bryant pressed the Prime Minister three times on whether he had fired Mr Hancock on Wednesday.
Mr Johnson replied: ‘On your question about Mr Hancock, the former health secretary, let me just go back to what I said many, many times, and I think I said on the floor of the House of Commons.
‘Which was that we all read about the story concerning Mr Hancock and the CCTV and so forth on I think the Friday, and we had a new health secretary on the Saturday.
‘Considering that we are in the middle of a global pandemic, and it’s quite a thing to move your health secretary, Mr Bryant, I think that was quite fast-going if I may say so and that’s all I have to say on that matter.’
The prime minister was dubbed ‘tone deaf’ as he told Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer he was not concerned with ‘stuff going on within the Westminster bubble’.
The Department of Health and Social Care has said it is cooperating with any ongoing investigations.
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