Matt Hancock’s ‘affair’ could become a ‘Barnard Castle’ moment and undermine efforts to contain the pandemic, senior Torys fear.

Cabinet sources are apparently concerned that the images of the health secretary kissing his aide when he should have been social distancing reinforces an ‘us and them’ mentality already felt among the public.

Pressure is mounting on Mr Hancock to resign after he admitted to breaching his own guidance in May, before rules on hugging had been relaxed.

Boris Johnson is standing by his under-pressure minister but many within his own party are questioning how long this loyalty will last.

The Sun has now published the full video of Mr Hancock’s covert snog in his office with Gina Coladangelo, a non-executive director he appointed.

It shows Mr Hancock checking whether the coast is clear before embracing his advisor while leaning against a door.

On Friday he apologised but said he was planning on continuing in his role and helping the country get through the pandemic.

But Labour have said his position is ‘hopelessly untenable’ while the Liberal Democrats have also called for him to go.

Tory MPs have reportedly been telling the Prime Minister to ‘pull the plug’, with public reaction over coming days key to Mr Hancock’s fate.

Andrew Bridgen MP told the Daily Mail: ‘It will all be down to public opinion – it’s the only thing No 10 cares about. They’re polling, focus-grouping all the time and if that starts showing the public want him out then he could be gone by Monday.’ 

A Cabinet source told The Telegraph that Mr Johnson’s support ‘could unravel pretty quickly, adding: ‘If there is a Barnard Castle moment, he is going to be under quite a lot of pressure.’

Studies have shown Dominic Cummings’ notorious trip to the north east beauty spot during the first lockdown while he was infected with Covid undermined public trust in lockdown rules.

Another minister told The Telegraph they feared Mr Hancock’s behaviour reinforced a feeling of ‘us and them’ with politicians ignoring the rules they imposed on everyone else.

Lawyers have said Mr Hancock may have broken the law regarding coronavirus restrictions, although he admitted only to breaching guidance. The police have confirmed they are not investigating.

There have also been questions about Mrs Coladangelo’s appointment to her role in the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in the first place although Number 10 insist this was above board.

A snap poll from Savanta ComRes, released hours after the photographs surfaced, found 58% of UK adults thought that Mr Hancock should resign, compared to 25% who thought he should not.

The Covid-19 Bereaved Families For Justice group, which represents those who have lost loved ones to the pandemic, also called for Mr Hancock to go.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, the group said it had broken its ‘position of neutrality on ministerial conduct’ to urge Mr Johnson to relieve Mr Hancock of his job.

The Health Secretary has been seen by some Conservatives as a barrier to easing the hated coronavirus restrictions.

He was under pressure before the kissing footage was published after damaging allegations by Mr Cummings who claimed the health secretary had lied to colleagues and the PM had called him ‘f***ing hopeless.’

In a statement released yesterday Mr Hancock said: ‘I accept that I breached the social distancing guidance in these circumstances, I have let people down and am very sorry.

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‘I remain focused on working to get the country out of this pandemic, and would be grateful for privacy for my family on this personal matter.’

A Downing Street spokesman said Mr Johnson had accepted Mr Hancock’s apology and ‘considers the matter closed’.

The Metropolitan Police said it was not investigating any offences, which allegedly took place last month, because ‘as a matter of course the MPS is not investigating Covid related issues retrospectively’.

Human rights barrister Adam Wagner told BBC News: ‘I am pretty clear, although you never know for sure, that there was a breach of the regulations, on the basis that at the time it was illegal to have any gathering of more than one person anywhere indoors unless an exception applied.

‘The only one that could reasonably be said to apply or possibly said to apply would be that this was reasonably necessary for work purposes.

‘But based on what we know and what we can see in the images, it doesn’t seem that that was reasonably necessary for work purposes.’

Professor Stephen Reicher, a government behavioural science adviser on the Spi-B committee, said the Prime Minister sticking by aides and ministers who may have breached the rules made the repercussions for restriction compliance ‘toxic’.

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