Matt Hancock has resigned as Health Secretary after admitting to breaking coronavirus rules

His resignation comes after leaked CCTV showed him kissing an aide in his departmental office.

In a letter to Boris Johnson Hancock said the Government “owe it to people who have sacrificed so much in this pandemic to be honest when we have let them down”.

READ MORE: Matt Hancock: 'Affair' with aide Gina Coladangelo exposed by The Sun

In his letter of resignation, Matt Hancock said: “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.

“I want to reiterate my apology for breaking the guidance, and apologise to my family and loved ones for putting them through this. I also need (to) be with my children at this time.”

The Health Secretary was facing increasing pressure to quit over the breaking of social-distancing rules after CCTV footage leaked showing him kissing his aide Gina Coladangelo last month.

The Herald: A video of Mr Hancock in an embrace with Gina Coladangelo was published on Friday night by the Sun newspaper, sparking further calls for his departure.A video of Mr Hancock in an embrace with Gina Coladangelo was published on Friday night by the Sun newspaper, sparking further calls for his departure.

READ MORE: Matt Hancock affair dominates front pages of Saturday papers

In response, the Prime Minister said he was sorry to receive his resignation. He said: “You should leave office very proud of what you have achieved – not just in tackling the pandemic, but even before Covid-19 struck us.”

Mr Johnson had refused to sack Mr Hancock, with his spokesman saying the PM considered the matter closed after receiving the West Suffolk MP’s apology on Friday.

In a video posted on Twitter, Matt Hancock said: “I understand the enormous sacrifices that everybody in this country has made, you have made. And those of us who make these rules have got to stick by them and that’s why I’ve got to resign.

“I want to thank people for their incredible sacrifices and what they’ve done. Everybody working in the NHS, across social care, everyone involved in the vaccine programme and frankly everybody in this country who has risen to the challenges that we’ve seen over this past 18 months.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: "Matt Hancock is right to resign. But Boris Johnson should have sacked him."

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: “It is right that Matt Hancock has resigned. But why didn’t Boris Johnson have the guts to sack him and why did he say the matter was closed?

“Boris Johnson has demonstrated that he has none of the leadership qualities required of a Prime Minister.”

Liberal Democrats’ leader Sir Ed Davey tweeted: “Matt Hancock’s legacy as Health Secretary will be one of cronyism and failure.

“And the fact that Boris Johnson thought Hancock could just carry on regardless brings the Prime Minister’s judgement into question once again.”

Mr Hancock’s three-year tenure as health secretary came to an end after The Sun newspaper published stills of what appeared to be CCTV footage from inside his ministerial office of him kissing Ms Coladangelo.

Legislation in place at the time said that “no person may participate in a gathering” that “consists of two or more people… and takes place indoors”.

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford tweeted: “Massive failure of leadership by Boris Johnson. Hancock should have been sacked. A fish rots from its head. So does this UK Government.

“In Scotland of course we will face a choice on our future. We can say goodbye to the chaos and failure of UK leadership and take a step forward.”