Rishi Sunak said Matt Hancock’s future as an MP will be decided by the voters at the next election.
The Prime Minister declined to call for Mr Hancock to resign his West Suffolk seat but said he was “very disappointed” the MP had chosen to swap his constituency for the Australian jungle to take part in I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
Asked whether Mr Hancock should quit Westminster, the Prime Minister told ITV News: “Matt Hancock is not a Conservative MP, the Chief Whip decided to remove the Conservative whip.
“Ultimately, the question is for his constituents at an election but I think it was right that the Chief Whip removed the conservative whip from Matt Hancock, it’s a decision I support and I was very disappointed that he decided to go on the show.”
The PM revealed he has refused to watch the ex-Cabinet minister on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
“I’ve been busy, I’ve barely seen my children or anyone else for that matter over the last couple of weeks, so no, I haven’t seen it,” he told reporters.
He said: “MPs not just from my party, from all parties are focused on debating and trying to solve [them], I think that’s what we should be focused on and that’s why I was disappointed he went on the show,” he said.
Asked if Mr Hancock had denigrated politics by taking part in eating challenges in the jungle, Mr Sunak replied: “I think politics at its best can and should be actually quite noble.
"I think most people who get into politics, from whatever party, do it because they care about public service.
“They want to make a difference to their communities, they want to make a difference to their country and so when that works well it’s a special thing but you have to earn people’s respect right, it is not given just because you are a politician.”
He added: “I do think it is incumbent on all members of parliament to do the things that earn people’s respect and that’s serving your constituents really well, making a difference to them in surgeries, it is how you conduct yourself.
“Everyone is going to do it in a slightly different way but I think it’s important that we have our constituents and our country at the forefront of what we do when we go around our day to day lives.
“We are privileged to have these jobs and we should take that privilege seriously and we should give it the responsibility that it is owed.”
