Matt Hancock has defended his decision to appear on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, stating that the television program is a “strong instrument” for reaching young people.
The former health secretary wrote in the Sun that politicians must “go where the people are.”
He wrote, “I haven’t lost my mind or consumed too many pina Coladas.”
Mr. Hancock, who has landed in Brisbane ahead of the show’s Sunday premiere, has received criticism for his reality television ambitions.
One Tory colleague, MP Tim Loughton, referred to him as a “total twit,” while opposition critics have urged him to forgo his £84,144 annual income as British MP while he is in the Australian bush.
His local West Suffolk Conservative Association issued a statement expressing “disappointment” and accusing Mr. Hancock of a “severe error of judgment.”
The group stated, “Members of Congress should work diligently for their constituents, especially when there is a cost of the living issue and people are struggling.”
Mr. Hancock has stated that a portion of his pay for the program – which he will be required to record in the Register of Members’ Interests – will be donated to charity.
As a result of his announcement that he will be traveling to Australia to participate in the Bushtucker trials, the West Suffolk Conservative MP was suspended, but he will continue to be paid as an independent MP.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who appeared to snub Mr. Hancock when he was voted Tory leader last week, appears to disapprove of his colleague’s most recent career move.
The official spokeswoman for the prime minister stated that “MPs should work hard for their constituents, whether in the House or their constituency.”
In response, Mr. Hancock wrote that it is the responsibility of politicians to engage with the public.
“Rather than looking down on reality television, we should recognize it for what it is: a potent instrument for communicating with younger generations.” I find it condescending when people assert that reality television is beneath a politician.
“It is crystal evident that politicians like myself must go to the people, especially those who are politically disengaged. We must come to our senses and accept the popular culture.”
Mr. Hancock is not the first politician to enter the jungle; former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries and former Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale preceded him.
Critics, however, have criticized the lawmaker for his planned three-week sabbatical from Parliament at a time when energy costs are soaring, the government faces a budgetary “black hole,” and the conflict in Ukraine continues.
Mr. Hancock stated that he had declined two proposals from reality television producers during the summer “because of the uncertainty of the government at the time.”
However, he stated that now that Mr. Sunak is in office as prime minister, the political atmosphere is “stable” enough for him to accept the offer, and he has agreed with the show’s producers that he may be reached at any time urgent constituency problems.
As health secretary, Mr. Hancock was responsible for coordinating the United Kingdom’s reaction to Covid.
After he was caught violating social distance guidelines by kissing a colleague he was having an affair with in his office, he was forced to resign.
The former cabinet minister stated that he has no plans to return to the office but aims to utilize his time in the jungle to raise awareness about dyslexia, which he has.
Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice termed Mr. Hancock’s choice “sickening” and demanded that ITV remove him from the program.
The group tweeted, “Matt Hancock is not a ‘star’; he is the former health secretary who supervised the United Kingdom having one of the greatest death tolls in the world from the Covid-19 virus while violating his lockdown regulations.
Andy Drummond, the vice-chairman of the West Suffolk Conservative Association, expressed his eagerness to witness Mr. Hancock “eating a kangaroo’s penis.”
