Matt Hancock has Tory whip suspended after joining I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here
Matt Hancock has been accused of “trying to cash in on his terrible legacy” as health secretary during the pandemic by appearing on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
The Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice campaign said: “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.”
Mr Hancock’s ailing public image has suffered greatly in the few hours since it emerged he would appear on the hit ITV reality programme: he has been sternly rebuked by the prime minister, suspended from the Tory party and mocked by his constituency association.
A spokesperson for Rishi Sunak, who declined to give the former health secretary a role in his government, said: “The PM believes that at a challenging time for the country, MPs should be working hard for their constituents in the House or in their constituencies.”
The spokesperson said it was unlikely Mr Sunak would watch his former colleague on the programme.
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Hancock says he’s going into the jungle ‘so he can be where the people are’
Matt Hancock has insisted he is going to Australia to join I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! so he can “go to where the people are — not to sit in ivory towers in Westminster”.
Writing in The Sun, Mr Hancock said: “While there will undoubtedly be those who think I shouldn’t go, I think it’s a great opportunity to talk directly to people who aren’t always interested in politics, even if they care very much about how our country’s run.
“It’s our job as politicians to go to where the people are — not to sit in ivory towers in Westminster.
“There are many ways to do the job of being an MP. Whether I’m in camp for one day or three weeks, there are very few places people will be able to see a politician as they really are.”
He added: “So, the truth is, I haven’t lost my marbles or had one too many pina coladas. It’s something I’ve given a lot of thought to.
“I was elected by the people, and it’s important to engage with voters, especially younger voters, no matter where they are, and show the human side of politicians.”
Matt Hancock is heading for the jungle with ITV’s I’m A Celebrity… (Yui Mok/PA)
” height=”726″ width=”982″ layout=”responsive” class=”i-amphtml-layout-responsive i-amphtml-layout-size-defined” i-amphtml-layout=”responsive”> Matt Hancock is heading for the jungle with ITV’s I’m A Celebrity… (Yui Mok/PA)
Lord Frost defendes Braverman
Former Brexit Secretary Lord Frost defended Home Secretary Suella Braverman against an “almost obsessional pursuit”.
He said: “We have seen over the last couple of days what seems to me to be an almost obsessional pursuit of the Home Secretary who is dealing with a series of extremely difficult substantive problems.
“A pursuit on the basis of leaks, anonymous briefings, the usual oversensitivity about words.”
Co-operation with the French authorities ‘only way to deal with small boats’
Former Conservative leader Lord Howard of Lympne claimed the Government needs to face the “inconvenient truth” that the only way to deal with small boats crossing the English Channel is co-operation with the French authorities.
He highlighted a 1995 agreement that the French would take back anyone who arrives illegally across the Channel.
Home Office minister Lord Murray of Blidworth agreed that there is “no stronger deterrent” than being sent back to France.
He went on to defend the Home Secretary for calling the small boat crossings an “invasion”, arguing that she was “conveying the scale and challenge we are facing as a country” that many people “rightly concerned” about.
He added that the system is approaching “breaking point” due to the unprecedented number of small boat crossings.
Peers condemn Home Secretary in House of Lords
Labour Home Affairs spokesperson Lord Coaker branded the situation regarding asylum processing a “shambles” with “terrible consequences for people”.
Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Lord Paddick slammed the “woeful track record” in processing claims and the “reckless rhetoric” of Ms Braverman.
He claimed that such language “fuels a false narrative that results in the kind of attack that we saw at Western Jet Foil”.
New Home Office minister Lord Murray of Blidworth confirmed that, while counter-terrorism police have taken over the investigation of the attack at Western Jet Foil Border Force centre in Dover, it is not yet being treated as a terror incident.
He told the House of Lords: “I can confirm that Counter Terrorism Policing South East have now taken the lead from Kent Police into the incident at Western Jet Foil.
“Detectives have been working hard to establish the exact circumstances including the motivation surrounding this incident that happened at 10.20am on Sunday…
“What appears clear is that this despicable offence was targeted and likely to be driven by some form of hate-filled grievance, though this may not necessarily meet the threshold of terrorism.
“At this point the incident itself has not been declared a terrorist incident, but this is being kept in review as the investigation progresses.”
Hancock ‘leaving Tory mess to eat testicles’
SNP MP Pete Wishart said: “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, as Rishi Sunak’s government lurches from one crisis to another.”
Later, speaking to STV News at Six, Mr Wishart added: “Here he is, going off to be munching on kangaroo’s testicles, leaving this mess here in parliament.
“I just think it’s a load of, and I’ll be delicate here, a load of b*****ks and not kangaroo ones.”
Charities outrage at Suella Braverman’s ‘harmful’ child migrant X-ray plans
Embattled home secretary Suella Braverman is to push ahead with controversial plans that risk forcing vulnerable child refugees to undergo X-rays to prove they are not lying about their age.
Ms Braverman has been accused of using “shameful” and inflammatory language that put migrants in danger after she claimed the UK was facing an “invasion” on its south coast.
Now charities say the under-fire cabinet minister, who was reappointed to the job just a week after she was forced to resign over a security breach, risks measures that will ‘harm’ children.
Hancock “naive and brave” for joining reality show
Former Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale has said Matt Hancock’s decision to join I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! was “naive and brave”.
The former politician entered the Australian jungle as part of the show in 2017 following her resignation as Scottish Labour leader.
Ms Dugdale sparked outrage across the political spectrum in Scotland following the decision with Labour bosses considering disciplinary action because she did not notify the party she would be out of the country on non-work business while parliament was in session.
She was the second person to be eliminated from the series.
“I think it’s brave and naive. It was brave and naive when I did it. He’s far more high profile than I ever was,” told STV News At Six on Tuesday evening.
“A lot of people have a much stronger opinion of him now and not necessarily a positive one,” she added.
“It was definitely a riskier decision for him to do it than it was for me at the time.”
Number of migrants at the Manston immigration centre “fell substantially” today
Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick said the number of migrants at the Manston immigration centre had “fallen substantially today”.
He tweeted: “Manston Update: Thanks to the hard work and professionalism of Home Office and Border Force staff, military personnel and our contractors we have made good progress.
“Numbers of migrants have fallen substantially today and we expect them to do so again tomorrow.
“Unless we receive an unexpectedly high number of migrants in small boats in the coming days, numbers will fall significantly this week.
“It’s imperative that the site returns a sustainable operating model and we are doing everything we can to ensure that happens swiftly.”
Suella Braverman plans for vulnerable child refugees to undergo X-rays
Home secretary Suella Braverman risks inflaming the migration row with plans to force vulnerable child refugees to undergo X-rays to verify their age.
The move comes after prime minister Rishi Sunak told cabinet that he wanted Britain to be a “compassionate, welcoming country”, distancing himself from the home secretary’s controversial claim that the UK was being subjected to an “invasion” by asylum-seekers.
As counter-terrorist police took charge of the investigation into the firebombing of a separate immigration faciility in Kent, it emerged that Ms Braverman’s incendiary remark had not been cleared with No 10.
And Mr Sunak’s official spokesperson declined to say whether the PM regarded it as appropriate.
