Matt Hancock should be stripped of his MP salary for signing up to I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here, according to the nation.
Nearly three quarters of Brits polled (72 per cent) said the former Health Secretary should not receive a penny of his estimated £84,000 annual MP salary while he’s in the Australian jungle.
Hancock, who has claimed he’s ‘contactable for constituency emergencies’ has sparked huge controversy by heading Down Under for the ITV show.
Nearly 6 out of 10 (56 per cent) said this is a bad career decision for the scandal-hit MP, while just 15% consider it a ‘good move’ according to the new research by OnePoll.
And 48 per cent say they’ll be voting for him for EVERY Bushtucker trial.
More than half (56 per cent) believe it was the right decision for the party to remove the whip from Hancock and force him to sit as an independent.
While 45 per cent believe this signals the end of his political career, 23 per cent are convinced he’ll make a parliamentary comeback.
Hancock claimed he turned down two previous invitations from ITV to join the hit show and finally accepted on the third.
He told how he hopes his appearance will shed a light on his dyslexia campaign but only 10 per cent of Brits believe that’s the case, with 48 per cent claiming it’s for financial reasons, according to OnePoll’s study of 2000 people.
Since news broke that he has signed up to go into the jungle, Mr Hancock has been suspended from the Conservative party and there has been a public outcry.
His career has been plagued by scandal and was sacked as Health Minister by Boris Johnson in 2021 after being caught in a clinch with his aide Gina Coladangelo, while they were both married.
The Health secretary, later apologised for breaking social distancing guidance while he was responsible for the country’s response to the pandemic. Hancock had previously received criticism for slapping a fellow MP on the back while he was supposed to be social distancing.
Hancock is not the first serving Tory MP to head into the jungle and have the whip removed.
In the past other MPs including former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries and Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale took part in the show and Dorries also was suspended but bounced back.
Former Health Secretary Mr Hancock explained his decision by saying the TV show is a "powerful tool" to reach young people.
Mr Hancock added: "Rather than looking down on reality TV, we should see it for what it is — a powerful tool to get our message heard by younger generations. In fact, I think it's patronising to hear some say reality TV is beneath a politician.
"It's as clear as day that politicians like me must go to where the people are — particularly those who are politically disengaged. We must wake up and embrace popular culture."
One Tory colleague, MP Tim Loughton, described Hancock as an "absolute prat" and he has faced calls from opposition critics to give up his £84,144 a year MP's salary while he is in the jungle.
In a statement, his local West Suffolk Conservative Association said it was "disappointed" and accused Mr Hancock of a "serious error of judgement".
