Matt Hancock’s resignation was inevitable, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson on health and social care told BBC Radio 4 earlier.

Munira Wilson says: “You can’t be the rule maker and then be the rule breaker.

“He stood there week after week asking the British public to make immense sacrifices.

“People could not hold their loved ones and there he is brazenly and flagrantly breaking the rules himself.”

Image source, Getty Images

Matt Hancock resigned last night after mounting pressure from fellow Tory MPs, Labour and the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the prime minister should have sacked Hancock rather than wait for him to resign.

The SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford tweeted: "Massive failure of leadership by Boris Johnson, Hancock should have been sacked."

Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey tweeted that Mr Hancock's legacy was one of "failure" and he said the fact that Mr Johnson "could just carry on regardless brings the prime minister's judgement into question once again".

Tory MP Andrew Bridgen told BBC News it had become clear that a "sizeable minority or even a majority of the public no longer had confidence in Matt Hancock".

Bridgen added it "was not the affair but the hypocrisy of being someone who makes the rules and then broke the rules".

Rivka Gottlieb, from the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group, told BBC News it was "absolutely right" that Mr Hancock resigned but said she thought he should have been sacked months ago over his "appalling record".

Dramatic exit, and a less controversial arrivalpublished at 07:34 British Summer Time 27 June 2021

07:34 BST 27 June 2021

Laura Kuenssberg
Political editor

One out and one in. The prime minister had backed Matt Hancock to hang on.

The now former health secretary had tried to cling on. But even on Friday senior Tories were directly warning both of them that his position was just not tenable.

Not because of his personal exploits with a taxpayer-supported colleague, but because he broke the rules that he helped to set.

One senior Tory told me it "beggared belief" that the man who had essentially banned casual relationships for a year was caught out having disobeyed the guidance himself, but still tried to maintain his position. Another insider said "everyone hates hypocrisy".

For every moment that he tried to stay both his and Boris Johnson's judgement remained in doubt.

Read more here.

Sajid Javid, who has held several key roles in government, said he was "honoured" to be appointed as health secretary "at this critical time".

His return to cabinet comes 16 months after he resigned as chancellor when he rejected the prime minister's order to fire his team of aides.

That departure was the result of a power struggle with the PM's former senior aide Dominic Cummings.

Javid's held several senior jobs in cabinet - he's also been home secretary and led the housing, communities, business and culture departments.

Matt Hancock went to see the prime minister and gave him a letter of resignation.

It reiterated his apology for "breaking the guidance" and he apologised to his family and loved ones for "putting them through this".

And in a video posted on Twitter he said: "I understand the enormous sacrifices that everybody in this country has made, that you have made, and those of us who make these rules have got to stick by them and that's why I have got to resign."

In response, the prime minister said Mr Hancock "should leave office very proud of what you have achieved - not just in tackling the pandemic, but even before Covid-19 struck us".

He added: "I am grateful for your support and believe that your contribution to public service is far from over."

You can see their letters in full here.

Image source, PA Media

If you’re just catching up on last night’s developments, Matt Hancock quit as health secretary after he breached social distancing guidance by kissing a colleague.

He had been under increasing pressure to quit, after the Sun published pictures , external him and his aide Gina Coladangelo kissing.

The newspaper said they had been taken inside the Department of Health on 6 May.

Some fellow Tory MPs, as well as Labour and the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group, had called for the health secretary to be sacked.

And a senior Tory figure told the BBC that many MPs had told their whips yesterday that he ought to resign.

BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said No10 had stressed that it had been Mr Hancock's decision to go and that he had not been pushed out by the prime minister.

She said Ms Coladangelo was also leaving her role as a non-executive director of the Department of Health.

Welcome to our coverage of reaction and developments, after Matt Hancock resigned last night as health secretary. Sajid Javid has been appointed to the role.

Hancock apologised for breaching social distancing guidance after a photograph showed him kissing an aide.

Former chancellor Sajid Javid has said he is "honoured" to have been chosen as Mr Hancock's replacement.

Stay with us for all the latest reaction and analysis to the resignation and new appointment.