Matt Hancock will leave I’m A Celebrity to face a showdown with furious MPs and constituents calling for him to quit Parliament.
The ex-Health Secretary – who was third behind winner, soap star Owen Warner, and footballer Jill Scott – is due back in the UK from Australia on Wednesday, after fleeing a cost of living crisis while Parliament is sitting.
Mr Hancock will have medical tests before being taken to a Gold Coast hotel today for an interview about his time in camp, which is expected to net him a five-figure sum.
He is already in line to receive around £400,000 for his spell in the jungle, although some of it will be donated to charity.
But the fact he made it to the ITV show’s final after presiding over the Covid chaos which killed more than 200,000 people has upset families who lost loved ones. Mr Hancock had told campmates: “Look, I know how people felt. That’s why I resigned, right?”
Elena Ciesco, who lost dad Luigi, 79, after he got Covid in a Surrey hospital, said: “People don’t care that he was responsible for deaths and broke the rules because it makes good TV. It’s despicable. I can’t believe people were sucked in.”
Jean Adamson, whose dad Aldrick died in a London care home with the virus in 2020, said “shameless” Mr Hancock should focus on his duties as an MP.
She added: “His very presence is offensive. The public are fickle.”
Mr Hancock, 44, was last night reunited with girlfriend Gina Coladangelo, who he was filmed snogging during social distancing rules, forcing him to quit the Cabinet last June.
He is expected to celebrate with campmates today before flying to London on Tuesday ahead of meetings with Tory chiefs at Westminster.
He will present a bill on dyslexia to the Commons on Friday, his representative said – but may do so as an independent after being stripped of the Tory whip for going on the show.
Party officials declined to comment on whether he is likely to return to the fold. Tory MPs must say by December 5 if they will stand for re-election.
Mr Hancock has also signed up for Channel 4 ’s SAS Who Dares Wins.
Ian Houlder, a Tory councillor in Mr Hancock’s constituency, told the Mirror: “I believe he doesn’t want to be an MP any more.” Mr Hancock also faces discontent in his West Suffolk constituency.
Today, Newmarket Town Council will vote on a motion calling on him to resign. Haverhill’s council has already told him to stand down.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper fumed: “I don’t think serving MPs should take [part] in reality TV programmes. They should be doing the job for which they are paid a good salary – representing their constituents.”
Labour ’s Lisa Nandy said: “He should be at work. He’s still being paid to be an MP.”
Mr Hancock’s spokesperson said his team is dealing with constituency matters, adding: “By going on the show, Matt has raised the profile of his dyslexia campaign.”
His office said Mr Hancock will make donations to charities but did not say how much.
His spokesperson added: “He will declare the amount he receives from the show to Parliament to ensure complete transparency.”
