Matt Hancock posted on Instagram about ‘working with brilliant women’ hours before affair allegations emerged

As more and more details and reactions emerge in response to a report that Matt Hancock allegedly had an affair with his aide Gina Coladangelo, a rather poorly timed Instagram post from the health secretary has come to light.

Hours before The Sun newspaper broke the story of Hancock apparently kissing Coladangelo in Whitehall, the minister shared a post on his Instagram Stories advertising for more women to get involved in the Conservative party.

The post read: “I work alongside some brilliant women. If you’re a woman who wants to get involved in politics swipe up.” The link sends you a page of the Tory party website, aimed at women.

Matt Hancock/ Instagram

Needless to say, the time timing of this post could not have been worse for Hancock especially when using phrasing like “I work alongside some brilliant women.”

Hancock’s Instagram stories would not usually be the source of much interest but this post has now been shared widely on social media, given it coinciding with the affair allegations.

At around 9 AM on Friday morning, the post appears to have been deleted from Hancock’s Instagram.

Coladangelo, who is married to Oliver Tress, the founder of Oliver Bonas, was hired last year as Britain began to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. The two reportedly met at Oxford University in the early 2000s. The 42-year-old MP married his wife Martha Hoyer Miller in 2006. They have three children together.

The CCTV image of Hancock kissing Coladangelo reportedly happened on 6th May, when strict coronavirus restrictions were still in place.

The Labour party have called for an inquiry into the matter while Hancock himself has apologised for breaching social distancing guidance and asked for privacy for his family.