THE nations new Health Secretary is starting his first day in the role following the resignation of Matt Hancock.

Sajid Javid said he is "honoured" to be Health Secretary after his predecessor quit the cabinet following intense pressure to resign.

Mr Hancock's resignation came after footage was leaked with caught him kissing his aide Gina Coladangelo in breach of Covid restrictions.

Mr Javid was then appointed less than two hours later on Saturday evening.

In a resignation letter to Boris Johnson, Mr Hancock said: "The last thing I would want is for my private life to distract attention from the single-minded focus that is leading us out of this crisis.

“We owe it to people who have sacrificed so much in this pandemic to be honest when we have let them down as I have done by breaching the guidance."

In a Twitter video, he added: “I understand the enormous sacrifices that everybody in this country has made, you have made.

"And those of us who make these rules have got to stick by them and that’s why I’ve got to resign.”

Numerous news broadcasters and newspapers have also reported that his aide, Gina Coladangelo, would also be stepping down.

The move to appoint Mr Javid comes after he left his role as chancellor just six months in to his tenure.

His resignation came after a conflict with Dominic Cummings, the former chief advisor to the Prime Minister.

After 16 months, Mr Javid is now set to start his first day back in the cabinet.

After his appointment, Mr Javid tweeted to say it was an honour be asked.

He tweeted: “Honoured to have been asked to serve as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care at this critical time.

“I look forward to contributing to our fight against the pandemic, and serving my country from the Cabinet once again.”