Gina Coladangelo & Matt Hancock. Tory morality has changed since Thatcher but the hypocrisy remains
The bottom line story about the resignation of Matthew Hancock has Health Secretary and his replacement by Sajid Javid is the continuing Tory attempts to privatise the NHS, preferably to the benefit of their mates. It is a political battle about what the role of profit in society should be.
The next layer of the story is about corruption in public life. About Hancock’s circumvention of procedures to ensure contracts are given appropriately and legally rather than to his friends and about the appointment of Ms Coladangelo outside of any process.
The third and least important layer is the bit that obviously interests the tabloid media the most- the personal aspect. Hancock has walked out on his partner and three children and reportedly decided to live with Ms Coladangelo who, likewise has walked out on her husband and three children,
Based on reports all four people involved here have known each other well for a long time so one wonders why a more appropriate way of handling matters could not have been found. However that is a matter for them.
Tory morality has certainly changed since Thatcher’s day. Thatcher’s favourite Minister Cecil Parkinson had to go in October 1983(for a bit) when it was discovered he had fathered a child with Sara Keays his former Secretary. He immediately dropped both but Thatcher was promoting Victorian family values at the time.
Chief amongst those for Tories was certainly hypocrisy although that’s not what Thatcher had in mind with her now forgotten campaign.
Hancock did not have to go for having an affair but rather because he had broken social distancing rules that were then in place. Indeed as the right-wing Spectator pointed out Hancock was the architect of making those rules law and attempting to ban personal interactions beyond those already in place.
It was Hancock’s do as I say not as I do approach that led to his departure in the end. As above though, that’s not the real issue here.
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