What questions does the government still have after the Matt Hancock debacle?
After being spotted kissing an aide in his ministerial office, Matt Hancock resigned as health secretary, yet his actions continue to be scrutinized. The PA news agency examines what questions the government and Prime Minister Boris Johnson still have. Ministers under the age of 65 who leave their post are entitled to a quarter of their annual income, regardless of whether they resign or are fired, under existing laws. Labour has stated that it will campaign for Mr Hancocks pay to be taken away. Mr Hancock, though, is said to be refusing the compensation, which would be roughly 16,876  less than a fourth of his 67,505 cabinet minister income. Mr Hancocks long-time acquaintance was hired as an unpaid adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) before being promoted to the 15,000-a-year position of non-executive director in September. However, its unclear if their romance began before or after she was appointed to the department, or whether this was ever disclosed a conflict of interest. Labour has demanded the release of documents related to the aides hiring, but Justice Secretary Robert Buckland insists that due process was followed. Following Mr Hancocks departure, it was rumored that Ms Coladangelo would also be quitting her position at the DHSC. The government will begin an internal probe into how The Sun obtained CCTV footage of Mr Hancock. Former cabinet ministers have maintained they never had cameras in their offices, and Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said the DHSC will look into how the footage became public. On Monday, Tory MP Peter Bone was given permission to ask an urgent question in the Commons concerning the security procedures in ministerial offices, following worries that critical meetings and discussions could be recorded. (This is a brief piece.)