Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care walks with Gina Coladangelo
(Picture: Getty Images)An investigation into the publication of CCTV images showing former health secretary Matt Hancock kissing his aide has been dropped by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) due to “insufficient evidence”.
The images, which were published in The Sun last June, showed Mr Hancock embracing and kissing Gina Coladangelo in a room at the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) on May 6 2021.
Indoor mixing was not permitted under Covid laws at the time, with social distancing rules in place.
EXCLUSIVE on today's front page: Shocking evidence of Matt Hancock's secret affair with closest aide caught on camera https://t.co/bImEbaIfGL pic.twitter.com/01SXiCIbG7
— The Sun (@TheSun) June 25, 2021
Mr Hancock resigned shortly after the images were published and is now in a relationship with Ms Coladangelo after separating from his wife of 15 years, Martha.
In a statement, the ICO said it had found “insufficient evidence” to prosecute two people suspected of unlawfully obtaining and disclosing the footage.
It followed an investigation into how The Sun obtained the pictures amid fears of a serious security breach at the heart of Government.
The regulator had launched a criminal investigation after it received a report of a personal data breach from DHSC’s CCTV operator, EMCOR Group plc.
Concluding its investigation, the ICO said that forensic analysis revealed the leaked images were most likely obtained by someone recording the CCTV screens with a mobile phone.
But six phones retrieved during the execution of search warrants did not contain the relevant CCTV footage, they said.
“After taking legal advice, the ICO concluded that there was insufficient evidence to charge anyone with criminal offences under the Data Protection Act 2018,” they added.
“The ICO has therefore closed its criminal investigation.”
Mr Hancock has remained the Tory MP for West Suffolk despite his resignation from Cabinet.
Earlier this week, he pledged to host seven Ukrainian refugees and their four dogs under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Mr Hancock vowed to host the family for six months in his Suffolk home after branding the visa application process a “challenge”.
He told The Sun On Sunday: “I got into this by instinctively making an offer to a constituent whose family was in desperate need.”
