Pressure has been building on the West Suffolk MP to quit after CCTV images showed him embracing Gina Coladangelo in a Department for Health corridor.

The pictures are from two weeks prior to guidance on social distancing being eased on May 17.

Labour and the Lib Dems have demanded he stand down for breaking the rules.

However, he refused to resign as he issued a statement saying he was “deeply sorry” for his actions.

He said: “I accept that I breached the social distancing guidance in these circumstances.

“I have let people down and am very sorry.

“I remain focused on working to get the country out of this pandemic, and would be grateful for privacy for my family.”

There was already intense scrutiny on the Health Secretary for his conduct in office, with questions raised over his role in mistakes made during the pandemic.

He’s been accused of failing nurses over the personal protective equipment shortage, blamed for placing the vulnerable at risk over the discharge of Covid patients from hospital to care homes, and quizzed over the handing out of pandemic Government contracts to close personal friends.

More to follow…