By Ben Kerrigan-
Former health secretary Matt Hancock has been suspended as a Conservative MP after joining the cast of I’m A Celebrity. Mr Hancock will swap representing his constituents at Westminster for eating bugs in the jungle.
But Tory party managers have taken a dim view of the West Suffolk MP’s decision to take part in a reality TV show while Parliament is sitting.
The Tory chief whip said it was “serious enough” to warrant suspension.
Simon Hart, who is in charge of Tory MP discipline, said he had decided to take the decision after speaking to Mr Hancock.
Andy Drummond, deputy chairman of the West Suffolk Conservative Association, said he was looking forward to seeing Mr Hancock “eating a kangaroo’s penis”.
The campaign group Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice called Mr Hancock’s decision “sickening” and called for ITV to removed him from the programme.
The group tweeted: “Matt Hancock isn’t a ‘celebrity’, he’s the former health secretary who oversaw the UK having one of the highest death tolls in the world from Covid-19 whilst breaking his own lockdown rules.”
Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman said: “The PM believes that at a challenging time for the country MPs should be working hard for their constituents, whether that is in the House or in their constituency.”
The spokesman said it was “unlikely” Mr Sunak would be watching the programme.
‘Incredible opportunity’
Sources close to Mr Hancock said: “Matt doesn’t expect to serve in government again, so it’s an incredible opportunity for him to engage with the 12 million Brits who tune in every single night.
“Matt has told the whips in Parliament and he will use his time in the jungle to promote his dyslexia campaign.”
He will be a late addition to the ITV show, which returns to Australia this year and will star Euro 2022 winner Jill Scott, ex-rugby star Mike Tindall and singer Boy George, among others.
The BBC understands Mr Hancock has been working on several reality TV projects in recent months.
On Monday, Mr Hancock announced he would publish a book about the coronavirus pandemic in time for Christmas.
The former health secretary joins a long list of politicians to have braved the Bushtucker Trial and other challenges, including former culture secretary Nadine Dorries.
Ms Dorries, who was the first celebrity to be eliminated in the 2012 series, tweeted: “At least he doesn’t have to worry about George Osborne in No10 waiting to remove his whip when he gets back!”
Mr Hancock has been out of government since he resigned as health secretary after he broke lockdown rules by having an affair in his departmental office.
Cost Of Living Crisis
He had been running to chair the powerful House of Commons Treasury committee but dropped out of the race on Monday.
Labour MP Chris Bryant, who chairs the Commons standards committee, has called for a by-election in Mr Hancock’s seat.
He tweeted: “There is something deeply unpleasant about the former health secretary playing around in the jungle when his constituents are facing a cost-of-living crisis and long Covid sufferers are looking for answers from the inquiry.”
SNP spokesman Pete Wishart also joined with the criticism, saying: “It speaks volumes that Matt Hancock would rather be stranded in a remote jungle eating kangaroo testicles than spend a moment longer on the Tory benches at Westminster.”