UK health minister Matt Hancock quit on Saturday after he was caught breaking COVID-19 rules by kissing and embracing an assistant in his office, infuriating contemporaries and the community who have been living under strict lockdown.

The Minister wrote to PM Boris Johnson to resign after The Private Newspaper printed photos of the married minister embracing a woman who he had selected on a taxpayer-funded role to examine the enactment of his department.

Whereas, Hancock has been at the midpoint of the government’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic, regularly appearing on the television and radio to tell people to follow the SOP’s strictly to protect them from the virus.

“We owe it to people who have sacrificed so much in this pandemic to be honest when we have let them down as I have done by breaching the guidance,” he said in the letter.

Johnson replied that he was sorry to receive it.

“You should be immensely proud of your service,” he wrote. “I am grateful for your support and believe that your contribution to public service is far from over.”

The Newspaper showed Hancock embracing the assistant in his office last month, at a time when it was against the rules for people to have close contact with a person outdoor.