Piers Morgan reacts to Matt Hancock joining I’m A Celebrity
Matt Hancock is coming under fire for a deal worth a reported £400,000 to appear on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here during the cost of living crisis.
The West Suffolk MP and former health secretary has landed in Australia for the reality TV show, which starts on Sunday.
Reports say Mr Hancock will pocket around £400,000 to appear on the popular show and the payday has sparked a backlash among some of the constituents facing higher food and energy bills.
Sharon Twite, 50, landlady of The White Swan, in Exning, in Hancock’s constituency, voted for him at the last election but hit out at him for “letting us all down”.
“He’s getting £400,000 to go and eat grubs in the jungle, Jesus Christ,” the mum-of-four told The Sun.
“It’s disgraceful. He’s just profiting off his shocking behaviour. He thinks he can get away with anything. The man just doesn’t have his feet on the ground.
ICYMI: Matt Hancock stripped of Tory whip for signing up to I’m A Celebrity
“This is a matter serious enough to warrant suspension of the whip with immediate effect,” said Simon Hart, the Tory chief whip.
Our deputy politics editor Rob Merrick reports:
Matt Hancock: A timeline of the former health secretary’s Westminster controversies
Not fully up to speed with who Matt Hancock is?
The former health secretary regularly addressed the nation during the Covid pandemic.
He also hit the headline last year for having an affair and was caught kissing an aide while at work, breaching social distancing guidelines.
My colleague Joe Sommerland has more:
From Hancock to Edmonds: I’m a Celeb biggest pay deals
Matt Hancock will pocket a reported £400,000 from his appearance on I’m a Celeb.
His meaty fee is among some of the biggest ever paid out by the show, which kicks off on Sunday.
Noel Edmonds, the TV presenter trousered £600,000 for his appearance in 2018. He was the first star booted out of the jungle that year.
Mega-celeb Caitlyn Jenner got £500,000 in 2019.
Former football player and manager Harry Redknapp was paid £500,000 in 2018 and went on to win the competition that year.
Singer-songwriter Boy George will appear alongside Hancock this year and will be paid £500,000. Boxer Amir Khan is also appearing this year for £400,0 – the same amount as Mr Hancock.
Matt Hancock ‘to be paid £400,000’ to appear on I’m a Celebrity
A new report has claimed that Matt Hancock will be paid a fee of £400,000 to appear on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
The Conservative MP, who resigned as health secretary last year after he was caught kissing his aide Gina Coladangelo, announced earlier this week that he would be featuring on the forthcoming series of the hit ITV reality show.
My colleague Louis Chilton reports:
Hancock charges taxpayer more than £100 for equipment to film himself
Matt Hancock has spent more than one hundred pounds worth of taxpayers’ money on equipment to film himself.
Official records from last year show the West Suffolk MP splashed out on a video camera microphone and other video camera accessories.
The MP – whose salary is £84,144 – also billed the taxpayer for a plush Apple laptop.
Minister defends move to strip Hancock of whip
Climate minister Graham Stuart defended the Conservatives removing the whip from Matt Hancock for heading to the Australian jungle while Boris Johnson and Liz Truss have been permitted to go on holiday.
He told Sky News: “We think that MPs should be attending to their duties and with so many people working from home these days it is possible to work from wherever you are in the world. It’s not really possible to do that from the jungle.
“While you’re eating various worms and sticking your head in unpleasant places it’s quite hard to concentrate on what’s going on in your Suffolk constituency.”
Matt Hancock: A timeline of the former health secretary’s Westminster controversies
As we’ve been reporting, Matt Hancock is set to enter the jungle for I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!
Mr Hancock is a member of the UK parliament and has previously served as the healthy secretary.
Last year he was embroiled in a scandal after getting caught breaking his own Covid rules by kissing one of his aides.
It is not the first time Mr Hancock has attracted controversy. My colleague Joe Sommerland reports:
Meet the stars entering Australian jungle
Which politicians have appeared on reality TV?
Matt Hancock is not the only politician who has swapped the halls of Westminster for a stint on reality TV over the years.
The MP for West Suffolk will be swapping his constituency for the Australian jungle in I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, prompting the Consernative Party to suspend the whip.
From George Galloway’s infamous cat impression on Big Brother to Ann Widdicombe’s attempt at taking the Strictly Come Dancing trophy, here’s a look back at which politicians have signed up for reality TV.
Which politicians have appeared on reality TV?
Matt Hancock is not the only politician who has swapped the halls of Westminster for a stint on reality TV over the years. The MP for West Suffolk will be swapping his constituency for the Australian jungle in I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, prompting the Consernative Party to suspend the whip. From George Galloway’s infamous cat impression on Big Brother to Ann Widdicombe’s attempt at taking the Strictly Come Dancing trophy, here’s a look back at which politicians have signed up for reality TV. Click here to sign up to our newsletters.
Matt Hancock may have breached ministerial rules with I’m a Celebrity move
Matt Hancock may have broken ministerial rules by failing to ask the authorities for permission to head to the jungle to appear on ITV’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
The former health secretary did not ask the anti-corruption watchdog whether it was appropriate to join the reality show.
The chair of the advisory committee on business appointments (Acoba), Tory peer Eric Pickles, is set to write to Mr Hancock to seek an explanation, The Independent understands.
Adam Forrest has more:
