Alastair Campbell gave a scything commentary on BBC Newsnight over Boris Johnson's handling of Matt Hancock's resignation. The Health Secretary quit last Saturday after CCTV footage surfaced showing Mr Hancock breaking Covid rules during a secret encounter with his close aide Gina Coladangelo. Mr Campbell slammed the Government's handling of the scandal but was met with an angry backlash from viewers on social media in response.

       Mr Campbell told BBC Newsnight: “In this Government, you will not get sacked for lying, you will not get sacked for cheating, you will not get sacked for being useless at your job like most of them are… but you will get sacked if you tell the truth about what’s happening in the country.”

       “There are really, really important principles at stake here. There are principles that are meant to govern public lives, the Nolan principles, and I think Johnson fails on all of them," added the Labour's former Director of Communication.

       “Honesty, openness, objectivity, selflessness, integrity, accountability and leadership and maybe he leads by example in breaking all those rules as regularly as he does.

       “He gives permission to people like Priti Patel to break the ministerial code and get away with it, Michael Gove to break the law and say it doesn’t matter, Hancock to do the same.”

       Newsnight Viewers took to social media to give their reaction to Mr Campbell's tirade on honesty in public life.

       One wrote: "All that Campbell is saying is spot on, except that it's him that's saying it.