The health secretary has come under fire for not wearing a face covering while riding in the backseat of his ministerial car.
A maskless Matt Hancock was snapped smiling inside his chauffeur-driven Range Rover on Monday evening – going against his colleagues’ health advice.
The public face fines of £200 if they fail to wear face coverings inside taxis or private hire cars but chauffeur-driven cars are exempt.
However, Downing Street last month ordered ministers to use face coverings while in Government vehicles and a No 10 spokesperson said masks were available in all ministerial cars.
Visit our live blog for the latest updates Coronavirus news live
The health secretary reportedly wore a face covering for some of the journey but took it off as he approached the Department for Health and Social Care.
When asked by the BBC if Hancock will be reprimanded for breaking the rules, Boris Johnson’s spokesman said he had not seen the picture.
He added: ‘On the general point, we set out at the time that we were making face coverings available in all ministerial cars so that ministers would be able to wear them’.
It comes after Hancock admitted that MPs broke the 10pm curfew by staying up late to drink in the Commons bar.
The health secretary denied being part of the group but has been under increasing pressure to prove his whereabouts, after a senior Tory MP claimed Hancock was among the rule-breakers, the Mail on Sunday reported.
They said: ‘I stand 100 per cent by my story. I know what I saw, and when.’
The names of the ministers who broke the rules have not been revealed, with MP Charles Walker – who led the investigation – saying it would be ‘invidious’ for bar staff to name them.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.