**Adultery is absolutely reason enough for politicians to resign.** • In Britain, this reality is all too familiar with the recent [resignation of Matt Hancock](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jun/26/a-timeline-of-matt-hancocks-controversies-and-breaches) following his affair and consequential breach of the coronavirus restrictions he helped to implement. Hancock’s affair led many to question his morals, character and whether he should have been allowed to continue his role in government. • In my opinion, adultery tells us a lot about someone. Whilst some would argue that the personal is not political, I would disagree. A politician is elected by their constituents to serve and represent the needs of the public. They have a duty to do this morally, legitimately, and responsibly. If you can’t remain faithful to one individual, how can we expect you to be honest with an entire population? • There is a big difference between being fired and resigning. To take the example again of Matt Hancock - there were two elements to his eventual resignation. Firstly, he cheated on his wife. Secondly, he very obviously and controversially, broke the explicit coronavirus guidelines, which he helped put in place. The utter hypocrisy of his actions still baffles me. With this particular case, I don’t think resignation should ever have come into it, because Boris Johnson should have fired him; not for his affair, but for the rules that he so evidently broke. • However, in instances where the law has not been broken, I think it becomes difficult to justify/rationalise cases of adultery with firing, and therefore resignation should be the result. If a politician cheats on his or her wife or husband, I think it’s awful and completely immoral, but it isn’t a fireable offence. And it probably shouldn’t be because this sets a precedent for future firings simply because one doesn’t agree with someone’s way of living. To some adultery isn’t _that_ bad. • It is in cases such as these, where I think resigning is the correct response. I personally wouldn’t trust a cheater with representing my needs or morals, nor would I want a cheater running this country - [oh wait...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/sep/07/boris-johnson-wife-affair-tories-party-cheat-liar) It’s ironic isn’t it. We’re discussing the morality of politicians in this country, whilst our own Prime Minister continues to hold an office, I think, he’s beneath and doesn’t deserve. • To summarise, adultery is _definitely_ a legitimate reason for politicians to resign.

**When a politician resigns, it isn't because of the objectively inappropriate nature of adultery. It all depends on the circumstances surrounding the affair, and the reaction of the constituency.** - [In the 1990s] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/24/newsid_2529000/2529115.stm), there were a whole string of political adultery scandals in the UK Conservative Party. It led to multiple MPs resigning - they resigned because of what the pattern inferred, which was the opposite of the Conservatives' pledge of 'a return to family values'. - And obviously, the most recent UK adultery scandal has been [Matt Hancock] (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57625508) - for which the circumstances were particularly significant. Because he was Health Secretary, the backlash to an affair with his political aide was not so much outrage at his infidelity but at his flouting of the COVID rules that he had helped to put in place. - Then there's the other end of the spectrum - if politicians are already known to have somewhat controversial private lives, then news of adultery will likely not affect their public standing - take [Boris Johnson] (https://www.nowtolove.com.au/news/international-news/boris-johnson-wife-girlfriend-57264), for example. [Political historian Matt Cole] (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-36468511) even thinks that if a politician is widely considered to be charismatic, then the revelation of an extramarital affair can cement this image in the public's mind. - Overall; adultery is never a neutral/objective action, especially in politics. A lot will always depend on the individual involved, what their public reputation is, and, of course, the context of the affair.

Many of us draw a line between public and private life. For those of us who do draw this line, adultery is no cause for resignation. Although a politician is obligated to represent the views of his party, in both private and public life, we as human beings, realise in some things we cannot judge too harshly. One of those areas in which we are lenient when judging people is in the matter of love, sex and romance. The reason for this is sex, romance and our desire for love, is a strong and fundamental desire almost everyone has. At the same time few of us would claim to be an expert in love and romance. The people we fall in love and the things that sexually excite us and whether we stay in love with or fall out of love, whether a marriage is satisfying or unfulfilling in some way, is beyond our complete control. We almost all find it a struggle at some point. We know this about ourselves and so can have sympathy and empathy, when others find themselves publically highlighted because they are having trouble with this aspect of their life. I believe most people would not vote against someone simply because they were an adulterer. They would simply assess the politician as "having trouble with their marriage". Few married couples, world-wide would claim they have never had trouble with their marriage. I believe adultery is no reason for resignation, because our drives for sex and love are so strong within most of us, we can feel, (at some point in our lives), almost a "victim" of these drives. That is: in love with the wrong person, or sexually unfulfilled by our spouse. I think as long as a person does not persue their sexual drives and romantic drives to do illegal things, I feel adultery is no cause for resignation or sacking, as we all recognise these are tricky areas to be happy in and get right, whatever our political beliefs or practices.