Matt Hancock Tipped For New Series Of I'm A Celebrity And... Sorry, What?
Matt Hancock (Photo: Jonathan Hordle/Shutterstock)
Reports that former health secretary Matt Hancock is due to enter the I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! jungle is the (potential) shock twist that nobody saw coming.
On Monday night, the 10 celebrities who have signed up for the new series of I’m A Celebrity were confirmed, with pop singer Boy George, Loose Women panellist Charlene White and broadcaster Chris Moyles all on the line-up.
However, it’s tradition that the ITV reality show usually sends in a couple of late additions, with The Sun reporting on Tuesday that this year’s will be Hancock and comedian Seann Walsh.
Hancock served as health secretary under Boris Johnson during the early months of the pandemic, but was eventually forced to resign when it emerged he’d broken restrictions while conducting an affair with an aide.
While ITV is yet to confirm reports that the politician will be on the line-up, that hasn’t stopped people from expressing their shock on Twitter, with many also questioning how he will be able to conduct his duties as an MP while he’s on the show.
Others also pointed out the timing of the reports come shortly after he withdrew from the race to be the the next chair of the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee:
What the f***??? https://t.co/gwKWNtQJCi
— Kevin Schofield (@KevinASchofield) November 1, 2022
Matt Hancock and Seann Walsh as the late arrivals, a truly unexpected double act https://t.co/BfgpUfJl1D
— Rachel McGrath (@RachelMcGrath) November 1, 2022
https://t.co/IbrdmmBWKFpic.twitter.com/Xw5lRgvwrL
— Calgie (@christiancalgie) November 1, 2022
Matt Hancock's comeback enters its final stage pic.twitter.com/BTGKQsst9Q
— Nadine Batchelor-Hunt (@nadinebh_) November 1, 2022
Good luck to famously popular politician Matt Hancock https://t.co/zFMlcuQgcV
— Adam Kay (@amateuradam) November 1, 2022
Wow 🕷 🐛 🦘 https://t.co/p4BoIYZhTM
— Paul Brand (@PaulBrandITV) November 1, 2022
https://t.co/LLnDvOvQhkpic.twitter.com/eNkaDJbQIV
— Adam Payne (@adampayne26) November 1, 2022
The classic "Treasury Select Committee Chair or I'm a Celeb contestant" trade off that so many MPs face... https://t.co/HvdQCw1pug
— Adam Hawksbee (@ahawksbee) November 1, 2022
This country makes me angrier and angrier. Shouldn’t he be, well - you know, working?! People paid to represent the public and this is what they prioritise. Enraging and offensive. https://t.co/HpjipnDQh5
— Ellie Raven (@ellieraven) November 1, 2022
I wonder what his constituents in West Suffolk think https://t.co/Dgv2cV7ol8
— Julian Druker (@Julian5News) November 1, 2022
Can't do this and chair the Treasury select committee I guess https://t.co/hl3a6LDzxH
— Jessica Elgot (@jessicaelgot) November 1, 2022
this is bonkers https://t.co/zUFsMgkT3z
— Kitty Hatchley (@kitty_hatchley) November 1, 2022
Nothing surprises me these days https://t.co/5NCc5UbtJl
— Kitty Donaldson (@kitty_donaldson) November 1, 2022
Now we're talking. Does he know how this show works? He's going to be voted to eat everything. https://t.co/Ale8qdrKZl
— Jay (@JayVtid) November 1, 2022
I wasn’t going to watch #ImACeleb this year but I think this changes things 🤣 https://t.co/uOFzGjmWDj
— Luke Marsden (@LukeMarsden) November 1, 2022
I am going to spend so much money making sure he has to munch on some crocodile bollocks. https://t.co/P6fABXlsxx
— Liam Kent (@tnekmail) November 1, 2022
Shortly after The Sun’s report was published, Chief Whip Simon Hart MP said in a statement: “Following a conversation with Matt Hancock, I have considered the situation and believe this is a matter serious enough to warrant suspension of the whip with immediate effect.”
A political ally of Hancock’s also told HuffPost UK that he was taking part in a bid to “promote his dyslexia campaign”.
They went on to insist he will be allowed to speak to his team in the event of an “urgent constituency matter”.
HuffPost UK has also contacted ITV for comment.
A number of political figures have signed up for I’m A Celebrity in the past, including Nadine Dorries, Lembit Opik and Kezia Dugdale.
Dorries appeared on the show in 2012, and ended up losing the Conservative whip as a result, as she did so without informing the Chief Whip that she’d signed up.
Interestingly, Seann Walsh – with whom Hancock is tipped to be entering the jungle – previously expressed solidarity with the MP after details of his affair were made public.
Seann Walsh (Photo: Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock)
“He probably had no idea who I was, but I just wanted to pull down my mask and say: ‘I know how you feel’,” Seann claimed, referring to a scandal he was embroiled in during his time on Strictly Come Dancing.
“I was probably the only person in the country who could sympathise.”
I’m A Celebrity launches on Sunday night on ITV. Check out the full line-up here.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost UK and has been updated.