DISGRACED former prime minister Boris Johnson could soon be eating bugs for money amid reports that he is in talks to enter I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!.
Johnson is thought to be pushing for a deal that would dwarf the £400,000 paid to fellow Tory MP Matt Hancock last year.
Although, as first reported by The Mirror, the shamed former prime minister is expected to turn down the invitation to jet Down Under due to making a lucrative amount already at after-dinner speeches.
One source told The Mirror: “He’s not looking likely. The truth is he doesn’t need the cash as much as he did before, thanks to his income from speeches and, of course, he still thinks he’s going to stage some sort of political comeback at some stage.”
Great to see we are backing our pubs - and great to see another benefit of Brexit! Let’s keep going!https://t.co/FsaweGCMSH
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) August 1, 2023
If Johnson was to appear, he would be following in the footsteps of his father and also two former close colleagues in his own cabinet.
Six years ago, his dad, Stanley Johnson, also appeared on the hit ITV show.
Johnson senior formed an unlikely friendship with Made In Chelsea star Georgia “Toff” Toffolo, who went on to be crowned Queen of the Jungle that year.
Matt Hancock was Health Secretary in Johnson's Covid cabinet before being sacked for breaking his own rules. He controversially joined the show last year.
Hancock received a hefty £320,000 fee for appearing in I'm A Celebrity but said at the time he did not "primarily" go on the ITV reality show for the money.
The former health secretary donated £10,000, three per cent of his total fee to charities, which he claimed was a "decent sum".
During an interview with Good Morning Britain, Hancock claimed his donation amounted to "more than my MPs' salary" during the time he was in the jungle.
Nadine Dorries, former culture secretary and resolute defender of Johnson, took part in I’m A Celebrity in 2012, the first sitting MP to appear on the show.
She was suspended by the Conservative Party for her appearance.
Jodie Comer hits out at I'm a Celebrity's Matt Hancock 😲 🌴 pic.twitter.com/JWDIJZJS4M
— Celeb Life (@CelebLife) November 24, 2022
She later apologised to the House of Commons over the fee she was paid for appearing in the popular programme, which saw her become the first contestant voted out of the jungle by the public.
In June, Johnson stood down as the Conservative MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip.
An investigation into the Partygate scandal found he had misled parliament - and recommended a lengthy suspension from the House of Commons.
Branding it a “witch-hunt”, Johnson declared he was “very sad to be leaving parliament – at least for now".
His enforced departure from politics came nine months after he resigned as PM after a police fine for breaking his own Covid rules.
