Matt Hancock's reaction to photo of kiss with aide revealed in text leak

Matt Hancock and his unit agonised for hours implicit whether oregon not helium broke Covid guidance erstwhile helium kissed his aide, leaked messages successful the Telegraph show,

The WhatsApp messages were sent aft The Sun paper published a photograph of Mr Hancock kissing Gina Coladangelo.

His spokesperson said determination was "nothing new" successful the messages and "absolutely nary nationalist interest" successful publishing them.

"It's highly intrusive, wholly inappropriate and has each been discussed endlessly before," helium added.

The spokesperson said the nationalist coronavirus enquiry had been fixed entree to each the messages.

The BBC has not seen oregon independently verified the messages nor the discourse successful which they were sent.

When the photograph was archetypal published, the messages amusement Mr Hancock asked his peculiar advisor astatine the clip Damon Poole to "keep the focus" connected her appointment.

The past wellness caput besides asks if different curate could emphasise that "no rules person been broken".

Mr Poole asks Mr Hancock and Ms Coladangelo to deliberation "really hard" astir whether they could person breached immoderate Covid rules.

Mr Hancock says: "Other than evidently the 1m+ I honestly can't deliberation of any."

He adds: "The worst they tin bash is 'kissed earlier they legalised hugs'."

But past Mr Hancock asks his advisor to clarify what precisely the rules were astatine the clip of the photograph.

The 2 of them past speech options for however they tin respond to media coverage.

This ranges from acknowledging helium "breached the societal distancing rules" - which Matt Hancock says helium doesn't deliberation helium tin do, adding, "I deliberation I conscionable went against the objective advice" - to saying that "no rules were broken".

In 1 exchange, Matt Hancock cites societal distancing guidance for workers astatine the clip saying that workers should "maintain societal distancing guidelines wherever possible", to which his advisor responds: "Yes, but it was possible. Clearly. From the picture."

In a abstracted published exchange, Matt Hancock seeks the proposal of the erstwhile chancellor George Osborne astir a video connection helium was owed to enactment out.

Mr Osborne says it is "good" but suggests helium astir apt wants to "include the apology to your loved ones you person successful the letter".

He yet resigned implicit the matter, publishing a video connected his Twitter page.