Matt Hancock says he “does not expect to serve in Government again” after taking part in I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!
The former health secretary and West Suffolk MP said he had received a lot of support for his decision to appear on the ITV reality show, and said it would be a good way to engage with a younger audience.
He reiterated that he could be reached at any point to deal with “urgent constituency matters” despite being over 10,000 miles away in the Australian jungle.
Alongside comedian Seann Walsh, Hancock is expected to enter the jungle on Wednesday and take part in the next Bushtucker Trial.
Following the announcement that he would be participating on I’m A Celebrity (IAC) he had the Conservative Party whip removed.
Speaking ahead of his arrival in camp, he said: “I don’t expect to serve in Government again but there are lots of ways you can communicate and engage with people.
“When I got approached to take part, I did think long and hard about it but one of the reasons that I felt able to say yes was because the IAC team have put in place a system so I can be reached at any point on any urgent constituency matters.
“Lots of people have a view on me from being health secretary in the pandemic dealing with some very difficult issues, but that’s not the whole story.
“I am looking forward to throwing myself into it all like I do everything in life. You can’t hide anything in the jungle, you see somebody warts and all.”
Hancock insisted he has received a lot of support despite having his Conservative Party whip suspended, but added he was not sure how fellow contestants would react when he walked into camp.
“I have had a lot of supportive messages from people who can see what I am trying to do to show that politicians are people too,” he said.
He added:“ There are lots of different ways to communicate with the public and we (politicians) are wrong if we think you can only do that on the traditional political shows where you are mainly only talking to people who take an active interest in politics.
“It’s important we engage with everyone, including young people, in who our politicians are and this programme is a good way to do that. I am looking forward to it.”
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! continues on Wednesday at 9pm on ITV and ITV Hub.
