The Hancock Affair
 

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/153880...air-with-aide/

The Sun has a story that Hancock is having an affair with his aide.

What might make this worse, and more in the public interest, is that there were already accusations that he gave her this job because she was a University friend of his and a lobbyist.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/m...-pal-tppg75t5c

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

I’m more interested in who fed him to The Sun. Johnson or Dom?

Tory corruption has been normalised to the extent the fact he got her a job/contract just makes him one of many.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

If the pictures are anything to go by there's not much social distancing going on there. :erm:

But like Cummings, it's do as I say not as I do.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Good to see him working tirelessley and ramping up his effort. I'm sure Mrs Hancock will be receiving an entirely plausible explanation.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

That might also be part of any excuse to can him. He did say it was right for Professor Ferguson to resign over his affair which broke the lockdown rules he helped advise. So why shouldn't Hancock resign over breaking the rules he, as a Minister, put into place?

Although personally, I don't actually care if he broke lockdown rules here. It's more the conflict of interest of using Government funds to hire her which already looked a bit dodgy before this.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

And who leaked the internal CCTV photos?

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

The Sun article just says a whistleblower.

Coincedentally the Sun website has just gone down.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

He admits to breaking social distancing 'guidelines': https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-57612441

He is not admitting to breaking the law though.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Stay at home. Protect the NHS. Shag wives. :rofl:

Sorry, couldn't resist. :D

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

The one I saw was: Hands, Face, Come back to my Place.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

BREAKING: Downing Street said the Prime Minister has accepted Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s apology for breaching social distancing guidelines and “considers the matter closed.

Unprecedented to see a major cabinet minister stay on with such sleaze trailing in his path.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

I wonder what he's got on Boris? :scratch:

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Well Johnson can hardly fire him for having an affair or putting the women he is having an affair with on the public payroll can he? :shocked:

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

I'm surprised he had the time.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Is that a Moderator instruction ;)

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

The one I saw was he's just one affair and four children away from being Prime Minister. :D

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Makes you wonder what was happening out of shot below the screen when he was doing those Zoom TV interviews… :naughty:

https://www.cableforum.uk/board/atta...9&d=1624632752

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

https://www.cableforum.uk/board/atta...0&d=1624633893

His explanation*

*not really…

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Would have been an even better picture if she'd been on her knees...:D

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

*Yes I like Gina Colada, and getting caught by The Sun*

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Eat out to help out.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Yuk!

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

I don’t care who he sleeps with. I just want him to return all the PPE monies.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

The contractors who supplied deficient PPE should be required to pay us back. It should not come out of taxpayers’ money.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

The Met police won't investigate any COVID rule-breaking because it would be retrospective: https://twitter.com/GuidoFawkes/stat...01234361905153

If someone had informed them Hancock might be breaking the law before he did it then I guess they could do something....

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Every investigation into a crime is retrospective, this isn’t Minority Report!

Have the Met now got a Pre-Crime Unit?

https://i.gifer.com/Cn2A.gif

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Stop & Search? ;)

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57619721

That would be the Robert Jenrick who, as the Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary was forced to explain himself in April last year after travelling more than an hour to visit his parents despite warning people to remain at home, and was also criticised for travelling 150 miles from his London property to his Herefordshire home from where he travelled to his parents' home in Shropshire…

In other unrelated news, Fred West defended Harold Shipman, pointing out what he did out of work shouldn’t reflect on the good job he did as a Doctor…

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Except that Matt Hancock broke no laws - only guidelines. We all do it..

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

No thought for Martha Hancock or Oliver Tress in all this.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

A principled stand for a politician telling others to follow the same guidelines.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

With power comes responsibility. You are always held to higher standards. If you behaved as Matt Hancock did, it wouldn't be plastered over the media.

---------- Post added at 11:20 ---------- Previous post was at 11:19 ----------

I'm sure everyone feels dreadfully sorry for them both, I certainly do. But as it's not disputed people aren't discussing that aspect.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

In this we are in agreement. It’s gross hypocrisy and if he had any moral fibre whatsoever he would step down instead of trying to cling on to his job. He has enjoyed being the centre of attention and the power the last 18 months and having to disappear from the TV onto the back-benches is too much for his ego to take.

But such is the confidence of the Tories and any lack of credible opposition that believe they can do anything they please and get away with it.......and they’re probably right.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Fundamentally the Tories have successfully shifted the dial on what is, and isn’t, acceptable conduct in a public office (and use of public funds) for the vast majority of the population.

I dare say 20 years ago, possibly even 10, there’s about five sackable offences here regardless of which party it is or which party you support. And it wouldn’t even be contentious on a public forum.

And yes, the opposition being crap helps.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Anyone remember what Hancock said about Professor Neil Ferguson?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...er-coronavirus

---------- Post added at 12:21 ---------- Previous post was at 12:18 ----------

Agreed. Governance in this country has deterioated far more than I could ever have imagined

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

I know that all the politicians listed in the following link didn't have affairs but it's still interesting to look back at all the UK political scandals since the 1890s. Sex does seem to be quite a prominent feature from the 1960's onwards.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...United_Kingdom

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Totally agree with that, he's an absolute arse, do as we say, not as we do!

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

You mean the guidelines he set up and told everyone to adhere to?

A quote from Hancock from last year

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Are you actually aware of any principled politicians?

---------- Post added at 14:46 ---------- Previous post was at 14:37 ----------

Quite. However, the measure that I would use is capability to do the job.

Of course he was wrong to breach the guidelines. However, in the scheme of things, this is the least of our genuine worries. If you have never breached the guidelines, you are one of a small number of people, I would suggest.

I would far rather that Matt Hancock pursued the coronavirus plan to its conclusion and then got on with the care home funding and restructuring review. That’s what we should be talking about because that is what matters.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Erm, I thought the care home funding and restructuring review was done and dusted - BoJo said in 2019

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Was the review oven ready? :D

---------- Post added at 15:56 ---------- Previous post was at 15:51 ----------

Agreed. I think it will be like the Cummings saga - BoJo won't sack him now but he'll end up walking the plank in due course.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

While you may be content for the rat race to the bottom many of us are not.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Capability is more than just delivering a few PowerPoint slides.

It's getting the nation to trust you and to win the argument that they need to forgo many of the things that they would like to do, like meeting loved ones and attending sporting fixtures. You just cease to be convincing if you ignore the rules that you want the rest of the country to follow. You only need to look at Tony Blair's tattered reputation after the WMD fiasco in Iraq to appreciate the difference that trust in a politician provides.

Nick Hancock knows this and that's why he said that Professor Neil Ferguson* who broke social distancing rules by having a woman visit him at his home did the right thing by resigning.

[Ferguson was the epidemiologist who helped shape the government’s response to coronavirus and who advocated the lockdown.]

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

He has resigned.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Might be a couple of Divorces coming shortly

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

https://apple.news/Aebccyk-dQsWOl69iONwsMQ[COLOR="Silver"]

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

It was only a matter of time. Once you have to rely on the endorsement of the leader your time is limited.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

I trust that makes you happy, Hugh.

---------- Post added at 18:54 ---------- Previous post was at 18:53 ----------

That's right. Once you are 'unassailable' you are toast.

---------- Post added at 18:55 ---------- Previous post was at 18:54 ----------

The overall plan was, but not the detail.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

After viewing the video it's clear mr Hancock is practising to become a contestant on strictly come dancing.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/153972...a-coladangelo/

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

I would suggest you are wrong, and I would further suggest that this is the self-justifying excuse used by those who do breach the rules, by telling themselves "well, everybody’s doing it, so it’s alright if I do it", especially those who disagreed with the guidelines in the first place…

---------- Post added at 19:30 ---------- Previous post was at 19:11 ----------

That does not jibe with your previous post, which stated That’s not how planning works - the review of "where are we now" happens first, which identifies needs, issues, non-functional requirements, high-level budgets, resource requirements, and timescales. From those, a plan is put together.

Review current state first, then agree future state, then put together a plan to deliver future state - that’s the normal process.

BoJo said two years ago

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Gobsmacked he's gone after the brilliant job he's been doing. Track and trace, PPE, only 128k dead (he's beat anyone else in Europe on that one).

If only he could have had the affair 12 months ago, a few thousand might have been saved. Weird that's its an affair that caused him to resign and not the crap job he's been doing. Sums this Govt. up.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Everyone I know has breached the guidelines in one way or the other, and I dare say you have as well unless you are one of those annoying perfectionists who washes all their shopping and puts it into quarantine before using it.

Just for the record, I don’t think it’s right to break sensible rules. However, when rules don’t make sense, many people will ignore them.

---------- Post added at 19:39 ---------- Previous post was at 19:35 ----------

I think you are being unnecessarily pedantic. I always assumed that we were talking about an overall plan. Since when have such plans proposed so far in advance included the kind of detail you expect?

It was a plan, that is all, and plans have to be fine-tuned and implemented.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Are you suggesting that it was acceptable for Hancock to break his own rules on the basis that they weren't sensible? :confused:

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

But even a high level plan needs a reasonable amount of information to base initial estimates and a high-level plan on, which is why most Major Programmes have an initial "Discovery" phase, where you meet stakeholders and suppliers to gather these - this has not happened for Social Care.

"Pedantic"? - I have 30 years of Programme & Project Management experience - you can’t just "magic up" a high level plan without the appropriate information.

---------- Post added at 20:01 ---------- Previous post was at 19:44 ----------

As I said earlier

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

I’m sorry to be pedantic myself, but you didn’t answer the question. Can you honestly say that you have always followed the Covid guidelines? Really?

As far as the plan is concerned, I don’t think many people would have expected it to be as detailed as you are suggesting.

---------- Post added at 20:13 ---------- Previous post was at 20:09 ----------

It looks like Sajid Javid will replace Matt Hancock.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Anyone else now expecting a flurry of 'revealing' texts and transcripts pointing fingers at 'useless & incompetent' party members?


oh gaaawd :dozey:

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Matt Hancock broke NO law.


The person who leaked the Video DID, they broke the OSA.


But pople seem more interested in him.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

It’s an irrelevance OB, Hugh didn’t make the guidelines. Hancock has to be held to a higher standard. It’s the same reason people lost their minds over Cummings.

I think, apart from the vaccine procurement and roll out, the government has handled Covid poorly and I’m glad he’s gone.

---------- Post added at 08:45 ---------- Previous post was at 08:43 ----------

But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t a colossal **** that had it coming though.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

That's not what a barrister thinks here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/57611369

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/m...ness-wrm33djfn



---------- Post added at 09:56 ---------- Previous post was at 09:49 ----------

Once again, you completely miss the point - even a high level plan needs some planning (otherwise it isn’t a plan, it’s somebody’s ideas about something that have not been discussed or agreed).

You appear to be a follower of the Baldrick planning Methodology, rather than the industry standards of Agile or Waterfall…

In answer to your question about following guidelines, we have tried at all times to follow them, and never knowingly broke them.

An example - my wife is finishing 10 days self-isolation tonight, because she was contacted by the App to say she had been in contact with someone who had tested "positive"; now, we’ve both been double-jabbed (second one over two weeks ago), both went to a walk through PCR testing centre (both tested negative), but she still self-isolated because it’s not about us, it’s about reducing the risk to others. She’s not held her grandson over that time (we normally look after him two days a week).

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

:tu:

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Totally agree with all the above points.

Sky News is sugesting that BoJo has lost his scapegoat. I'm not so sure. Surely BoJo can still lay a lot of the blame on Hancock. In fact, it might be easier with Hancock gone to do so.

Also lots of headlines on why Hancock had a camera in his office, with previous incumbents stating they never had one and concerns over national security being raised.
https://news.sky.com/story/trevor-ph...ation-12342819

Johnson explains why he did a U turn on Hancock:

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/...XRh_Z12FuDDJ0o

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Not sure he did a u-turn - Hancock resigned so he appointed his successor. :confused:

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Was Gove in court today or was that earlier in the month, it's getting hard to keep up with their corruption and law breaking

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

What has this got to do with Hancock exactly?

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

The Tories ooze corruption, so when one of them gets pushed it makes you wonder what they are hiding.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Corrupt or not: They are still the better party than the racist antisemitic Labour Party or the Illiberal Undemocrats.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

It’s a low bar I’ll give it that. For a sizeable proportion of the population they’re the party that delivered Brexit at an ideological level, and I’ll kinds of incompetence and corruption can be forgiven.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

It's not really corrupt or not it's just plain corrupt and it'll do for them in the end just like sleeze did before

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

It won’t, for reasons I’ve said above about who is the better choice out of Tories, Labour and Lib Dem’s. You’ve never been a Tory fan, so they could be squeaky clean and you’d still attribute corruption at them.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

And they’ll still win Batley and Spen.

The U.K. is in danger of being a one party nation potentially for several decades, and that is not good for any democracy. You only have to look to Scotland to see how that works out for you.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Haha, it can’t be that bad if almost 50% of the public vote for it.

Free tuition fees, free prescriptions all courtesy of those generous folk in the South East of England clinging onto the days of Empire with their last breaths. God bless them.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Or laws introduced where you can be arrested for expressing contrary opinions in your own home, or trying to introduce laws were your child is appointed a state “guardian”.

They keep you sweet by giving titbits funded by the residents of Kent.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Well let’s be honest Pierre, 2 trillion of debt and rising nobody is actually paying for anything.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Worse than the EU average. We just need to man up and raise taxes, there's little space to cut expenditure except on some of the fanciful PPE procurement and advisers we've seen.
https://www.cityam.com/britain-is-si...to-climb-down/

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Where’s the fun in that when you can keep kicking the can down the road. ;)

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

By U turn I meant that he was all for keeping Hancock and had accepted his apology. When even Hancock realised that his position was untenable and resigned, Johnson joined in in attacking him and said that he couldn't be allowed not to follow the rules he had introduced himself.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Correct I'm not a fan of the Tories even though they're the party I've voted most for in general elections, I've never voted Labour although I would have if John Smith had lived and I did vote Liberal right up until they got a sniff of power in the coalition and never again since, I've voted UKip and even Green and come to the conclusion I don't like any of them, have no faith in any of them, Hancock isn't the exception he's the norm and like many millions of others I'm sick of them all

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

The thing about this that me laugh is some people on my towns FB page would have called for his execution for as they said "he was breaking the law".

When these exact same people said it was guidance, and they would not wear masks, and they would still hug family despite being told not too.

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Looks like the knives are out for him. Serves him right.

(Telegraph link left in)

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Surely Hancock's extra-marital affair only increases his chances of becoming Prime Minister? ;)

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Surely using that as a guideline would make Wayne Rooney a candidate too ;)

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

It increases his chances, for sure!

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Do either of them know how many children they've got (and own up to fathering them all)? Thought that was a question on the application form :).

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Tonight's The Skewer was pretty good :D

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000xdr2

Re: The Hancock Affair
 

Six days ago…

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/a...-Universe.html Today…

https://www.cableforum.uk/board/atta...9&d=1625251542

The end of a marriage is never easy, and I hope that Sarah Vine be shown the same empathy and compassion as she has shown to others…