Chris Whitty hounded by strangers in London's St James Park

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Lewis Hughes, 24, was branded a “despicable thug” by the Prime Minister for manhandling the Chief Medical Officer in St James’ Park, central London. Footage shared online shows Prof Whitty attempting to escape as Mr Hughes and another pal – Jonathan Chew – grab him and try to get him in a headlock.

But it’s emerged Mr Hughes has been fired as an estate agent as a result of the incident, Kent Live reports.

The boxing enthusiast, from Romford, Essex, said: “I’ve paid the price with my job.

“I absolutely apologise for any upset I caused.

“If I made him feel uncomfortable, which it does look like I did, then I am sorry to him for that.

“He is quite a timid, shy person and I think that is why he didn’t say, ‘Get off me’. If he had said that and I had realised how he felt, I wouldn’t have put my arm round him.”

He said he had been hoping to get a selfie with Prof Whitty to show to his mother, adding: “There was no malicious intent, I didn’t want to upset him.”

Mr Hughes’ friend Jonathan Chew, 24, told The Sun: “We didn’t cause any harm to him. We just wanted a selfie.”

But in the 20-second clip, the men shout “Oi oi” at the physician who tries to walk away.

A voice is heard saying “leave the gentleman alone” before the footage ends.

The Metropolitan Police said the force was still investigating the incident, which was condemned by the Prime Minister and other politicians.

Mr Johnson said: “I’m shocked at seeing the despicable harassment of chief medical officer Chris Whitty.

“I condemn the behaviour of these thugs. Our hard-working public servants should not have to face this kind of intimidation on our streets and we will not tolerate it.”

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: “We are aware of a video being shared online showing an incident that took place in St James’s Park at around 19:20 on the evening of Sunday 27 June.

“Officers were in the vicinity policing a nearby demonstration and intervened when they saw what was happening.

“They spoke to the victim and checked his welfare. He had not suffered any injuries and informed officers that at that time he did not wish to make any allegations. He then went on his way.

“Officers continued to speak to the two men and recorded their details. They were robustly warned about their behaviour and ordered to leave the area.

“Police remain in contact with the alleged victim. The incident has been recorded as a common assault and continues to be investigated by the Met’s Public Order crime team.”

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