new life fellowship

serving jesus christ the king

Sexual Immorality

It's About More Than Just Restrictions

So he’s finally gone. For days the condemnation grew louder and louder and yet it looked like Matt Hancock would cling on to his job as a lightning rod for criticism that would otherwise come Boris Johnson’s way. Yet in spite of the Prime Minister’s apparent support, the UK Health Secretary tendered his resignation on Saturday night.

No doubt you’ve read the story and have probably even seen the picture. There he is, one of the architects of the UK’s coronavirus restrictions, passionately kissing one of his aides in the apparent secrecy of his Whitehall office.

Thus far, the outrage has focused on the breach of public health regulations. By definition, Mr Hancock and his mistress are from two different households meaning that contact such as this was not permitted when the photo was taken. Countless citizens have rightly queried whether it is one rule for politicians and one for the rest of us.

Yet, listen to some and you would think that this is simply a matter of breaching a temporary public health restriction. In reality it goes far, far further. The most pertinent facts are that Mr Hancock has been married for 15 years and the woman with whom he has been having an affair has been married for 13. Both have three children. Hancock’s wife is reported to have had no idea that the affair was taking place; her husband only informed her when he learned that the affair was about to be exposed in the tabloid press. He has since reportedly left his wife in order to move in with his mistress.

It’s a truly ghastly sequence of events and our hearts should go out to the innocent victims of Hancock and Coladangelo’s abhorrent actions. Yet, we must be clear that the breach of Covid regulations is at most a peripheral aspect of this affair. What they have done would still be wrong even if there was no pandemic.

When it comes to electing leaders, character matters. Of course ability and policy are both vital, but a man or woman’s character cannot be taken out of the equation. To put it bluntly, if a man’s own wife is unable to trust him, how can the country be expected to do the same? Whether it is Donald Trump, Boris Johnson or Bill Clinton, when it comes to holding public office, the betrayal of one’s own spouse ought to be a disqualifying offence. To write such affairs off as “a private matter” is to misunderstand what makes a suitable leader.

Secondly, it ought to be recognised that ANY act of adultery is by definition a matter of public note. A wedding is a public event where a man and woman take public vows before God and before witnesses to remain faithful to one another. Marriage brings unmatched blessings to those who enter into it, but with these blessings come solemn responsibilities. It appears that Matt Hancock was not willing to keep his word and meet those responsibilities. It is right that he has gone.