Defence secretary Ben Wallace shakes hands with man before socially distanced cabinet meeting

Minister pictured flouting social distancing before entering Foreign Office

The defence secretary has apologised after he was pictured shaking hands with a man before a socially distanced meeting of Boris Johnson’s cabinet.

Ben Wallace flouted coronavirus guidance on his way to the meeting on Monday morning.

The meeting – the first since MPs returned from the summer recess – was being held at the Foreign Office because there is more space for ministers to maintain social distancing than at Downing Street.

Mr Wallace was filmed smiling and greeting an unidentified man with a handshake before walking into the building.

Following the meeting, the prime minister's spokesperson said Mr Wallace "recognises the mistake" and "apologises for slipping up".

Government guidance states people should always maintain social distancing around people that are not part of their household.

The prime minister was expected to stress at Monday's cabinet meeting that he wanted the UK to “get back to more normality”.

Government scientists said earlier this year that ministers should discourage the public from shaking hands to reduce to risk of spreading Covid-19. But on the day the scientific advisory committee made the recommendation, Mr Johnson said he had shaken hands with “everybody” on a visit to a hospital with coronavirus patients.

“I can tell you that I’m shaking hands continuously,” he told a Downing Street press conference.