Matt Hancock suspended as a Conservative MP

British politics is the gift that keeps on giving, with this week’s bizarre story coming as Matt Hancock has been suspended as a Conservative MP.

Credit: inews.co.uk.

By: Sam Feierabend.

Was it because of his abysmal record as Health Secretary during the Covid-19 pandemic in which he mislabelled PPE equipment or gave out contracts to companies run by close Conservative donors? No. It is because he has announced his participation in this year’s I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! cast.

Hancock will jet to Australia to join other celebrities such as Boy George, Mike Tindall and Jill Scott to take part in challenges and trials that the public vote for.

Ministerial code for sitting MPs states that ‘any appointments or employment must be checked before they are taken up.’ Allegedly Hancock did not do this. His spokesperson claims that one off media broadcasts are permitted within guidelines.

Nonetheless the announcement of the former Health Secretary’s participation in the show has raised a few eyebrows both in and out of the political world. This is not the first time that a sitting Conservative MP has taken part in the show, with Nadine Dorries appearing on the 2012 edition of the show before being voted out first. She was reinstated as an MP after her appearance.

Some are criticising Hancock for going on the show, labelling it as a ‘ridiculous vanity exercise.’ His PR team will certainly want the public to change their opinion of him, as he was hounded out of government following controversial handling of the pandemic. Cynics may be looking at the impending release of his book ‘The Pandemic Diaries’ and piecing together the reasons for his decision to appear on the show.

At a political level, with the cost of living crisis affecting millions, some are questioning his decision as not sending out the best message to his struggling constituents in West Suffolk. If he is happy to jet off to Australia then he is seemingly not too interested in standing up for his constituents' needs in Parliament, which he was elected to do.

Given Hancock’s public reputation, it is expected that he will be voted to do some humiliating challenges on the show, which will present him as more fun than his current reputation suggests. His appearance is clever from his PR team and a masterstroke from ITV for their viewing figures.