Boris Johnson has suggested the controversy over Matt Hancock breaking social distancing rules and subsequently resigning as health secretary is a "Westminster bubble" matter.

The prime minister faced repeated questions at PMQs about the scandal, which was sparked when leaked CCTV footage showed Mr Hancock kissing his aide in breach of COVID-19 rules.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer the furore was evidence of there being "one rule for them and another rule for everybody else" and accused Mr Johnson of trying to "sweep this under the carpet".

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Questions remain over Hancock's conduct

He raised the case of 27-year-old Ollie Bibby, who died of leukaemia on 5 May, the day before the pictures of Mr Hancock were taken, and told MPs how only one person was able to be at his bedside when he passed away.

Sir Keir said it was one of many examples of people who have "made huge and difficult sacrifices" to follow the rules during the pandemic.

In response, the PM said: "We all share the grief and the pain...(of) millions of people up and down the country who have endured the privations that this country has been through in order to get the coronavirus pandemic under control and that is why we had a change of health secretary the day after the story appeared."

He added: "Instead of focusing on stuff going on within the Westminster bubble we are focusing on rolling out that vaccine."

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"Westminster bubble" is a term often used to describe events within politics that have little impact or garner little interest beyond Westminster.

The use of the phrase drew a furious response from Sir Keir, who said the PM's comment was not "appropriate".

"Before Prime Minister's Questions this morning I spoke to Ollie's mum about the awful circumstances she and her family have been through," he said.

Analysis by Tom Rayner, digital politics editor

Sir Keir Starmer urged the prime minister to withdraw the comment, but that did not happen.

There was a similar incident last week at PMQs. Labour said then it was "disgraceful" that Mr Johnson responded to a question about low rape conviction rates by saying: "They jabber, we jab. They dither, we deliver."

These moments cause outrage in the Commons chamber amongst opposition MPs, but the question of whether that outrage changes minds in the wider public is harder to judge.

Pollsters often talk about how Boris Johnson's gaffe-prone use of language is nothing new, and point to the fact his electoral successes suggest it has not so far been an impediment.

"She told me prime minister that every day she watched the press conferences and she hung onto every word that government ministers said so she would know what her family could and couldn't do, and then they followed the rules. This is not the Westminster bubble.

"She told me that for her and her family this case isn't closed and she speaks for millions of people."

It was the first time the pair have clashed since the former health secretary resigned at the weekend.

Mr Hancock's departure on Saturday came the day after Downing Street said Mr Johnson had accepted his apology and considered the matter "closed".

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PM on Hancock's resignation

The PM seemingly tried to claim he in fact sacked Mr Hancock in comments during an interview on Monday, before Number 10 clarified that was not the case.

This confusion was something that was seized upon by Sir Keir in the Commons.

Asked by the Labour leader why he had not sacked Mr Hancock, Mr Johnson said: "I read the story in common with you and everyone else on Friday and we had a new health secretary in place by Saturday, which I think that, given that we have a pandemic, I think to move from one health secretary to the next with that speed was fast."

Pressed again, the PM told the Commons: "He will notice that the health secretary has changed in the past five days.

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"He complains about the speed with which that happens - this government moves at positively lightning speed in comparison to the gentleman opposite who spent three days trying and failing to sack his deputy leader, who he then promoted."

The comment was a reference to Angela Rayner's sacking as Labour Party chair in a shadow cabinet reshuffle, a shakeup that later saw her given a number of new roles in Sir Keir's top team.

Referencing England's 2-0 victory over Germany on Tuesday, the Labour leader quipped in response: "On Friday the prime minister said the case was closed, then on Monday he tried to take the credit for the health secretary resigning. In a minute he'll be telling us he scored the winner last night."