Matt Hancock has sparked a furious backlash after abandoning the Commons to appear on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!
The Conservative Party suspended the whip after it emerged the self-promoting former Health Secretary - who has a book due out - will be flying to Australia for the ITV hit show.
Days after being snubbed for a Cabinet comeback by Rishi Sunak, the MP is set to join Boy George, Chris Moyles and Olivia Attwood after signing up to the show at the last minute. He will make a donation to his local St Nicholas Hospice in Suffolk.
But Mr Hancock's trip to Australia - branded a "serious" breach by the Chief Whip - will leave him out of the country unable to vote in Parliament while still able to claim his £84,144 salary.
Covid bereaved families accused him of trying to "cash in on his terrible legacy" and said he should "be sharing his private emails with the Covid inquiry, not eating bugs on TV".
Labour MP Chris Bryant demanded a “by-election now” adding: “If @MattHancock thinks representing his constituents is an inconvenience, his constituents should have a chance to decide whether they could bring that inconvenience to an end.”
Deputy chairman of West Suffolk Conservative Association Andy Drummond said: "I'm looking forward to him eating a kangaroo's penis. Quote me. You can quote me that." Shadow health minister Andrew Gwynne said: "To be fair to Matt Hancock, I'd sooner eat wallaby anus than be a Tory MP too.''
A Labour source said it would be "a unique experience for Hancock - eating b****cks rather than talking it".
Tory MP Tim Loughton said Matt Hancock was an "absolute prat", losing the whip is "the least he deserves" and he should be deselected.
He told Times Radio: "I'm completely disappointed and disgusted that he's put his self and a so-called celebrity career ahead of serving his constituents."
The House of Commons is sitting almost non-stop between now and December 21, with only one short break next Thursday and Friday.
And the Autumn Statement which will inflict billions in tax rises and spending cuts on poor Brits is being held on November 17.
Yet a "political ally" of Mr Hancock boasted he could be out of the country for weeks.
They claimed he had talked to the Tory whips "in the same way any MP would when going on a foreign visit, which happens all the time" - yet he's the first MP to appear on the show for a decade.
Chief Whip Simon Hart said: “Following a conversation with Matt Hancock, I have considered the situation and believe this is a matter serious enough to warrant suspension of the whip with immediate effect.”
Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA union said: “Oh to have a job where you can decide for yourself you’re taking a month off, abandon your work and responsibilities, get paid shedloads and face little consequence.
“I’m sure he’ll be an inspiration to other public servants”.
Downing Street slapped down Matt Hancock as Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman said it was “unlikely” the Prime Minister will tune in .
The spokesman said: “The Prime Minister believes at a challenging time for the country, MPs should be working hard for their constituents whether that’s in the House or in their constituency.”
The spokesman refused to be drawn on other cases, like Boris Johnson going on holiday while Parliament sits, saying they should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
Shadow Culture Secretary Lucy Powell said: “While his constituents need help with the cost of living and want answers about the economy his party has just tanked, Matt Hancock is jetting off to Australia to eat kangaroo testicles. Sums them up really.
“No doubt he’ll be voted off first, as this never ends well for MPs.”
Shadow Arts Minister Barbara Keeley added: “What is seriously wrong with Matt Hancock MP going on I’m a Celeb: His constituents won’t be represented in Parliament.
“[And] those bereaved by COVID, particularly those whose died in care homes, have serious questions to raise with him as the COVID Inquiry gets under way.”
It is an echo of Tory Nadine Dorries, who found herself in hot water after being a surprise addition to the show’s cast in 2012.
She was suspended by the Conservative Party for failing to inform party whips that she was leaving the country while the House was sitting to take part in the programme.
The following year she apologised to MPs after failing to correctly register her £82,000 appearance fee.
Mr Hancock will be the second sitting MP to take part in the lucrative competition, after fellow Tory Ms Dorries.
Other political figures to have taken part include Stanley Johnson, father of former PM Boris, and ex-Lib Dem MP Lembit Opik.
Mr Hancock abruptly withdrew from the race to be the next chairman of the Commons Treasury Select Committee on Monday, after being passed over for a front-bench role in Rishi Sunak’s reshuffle.
He has a book, Pandemic Diaries, coming out in time for Christmas - a few months before his actions start being cross-examined by the Covid public inquiry.
After helming the Department of Health through the worst months of the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr Hancock was forced to quit after video footage emerged of him in a passionate clinch with Gina Coladangelo, a member of his staff.
He left his wife to pursue a relationship with Ms Coladangelo, who was also married to Oliver Bonas founder Oliver Tress.
A “political ally” of Mr Hancock claimed: “I’m A Celeb is the most watched show on TV. Matt doesn’t expect to serve in Government again, so it's an incredible opportunity for him to engage with the 12million Brits who tune in every single night.
"Matt has told the whips in Parliament and he will use his time in the jungle to promote his dyslexia campaign.
"Matt has an excellent team working with him in West Suffolk, but producers have agreed that he can communicate with them if there's an urgent constituency matter."
The ally revealed he had previously turned down an approach by the show despite being “flattered and naturally curious” about taking part.
But they claimed “now the government is stable” and “Rishi has a big majority”, Mr Hancock sees it as “an amazing opportunity to engage with the public and talk about issues he really cares about - including his dyslexia campaign."
The ally: "Matt has always believed in communicating directly with the people he represents – whether that’s getting out and pounding the streets in West Suffolk, through all sorts of media or via those press conferences.
"There are many ways to do the job of being an MP. Whether he's in camp for one-day or three weeks, there are very few places people will be able to see a politician as they really are.
“Where better to show the human side of those who make these decisions than with the most watched programme on TV?
"Politicians like Matt must go to where the people are - particularly those who are politically disengaged. Matt's of the view that we must embrace popular culture. 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.”
Not everyone was so convinced. One Tory MP sent the Mirror a crying-with-laughter emoji.
And Lobby Akinnola, from the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice campaign, said: "Matt Hancock isn't a 'celebrity', he's the former health secretary who oversaw the UK having one of the highest death tolls in the world from Covid-19 whilst breaking his own lockdown rules.
"The fact that he is trying to cash in on his terrible legacy, rather than showing some humility or seeking to reflect on the appalling consequences of his time in Government, says it all about the sort of person he is.
"My family was ripped apart by Matt Hancock's actions and turning on the TV to see him being paraded around as a joke is sickening.
"If he had any respect for the families like mine, he would be sharing his private emails with the Covid inquiry, not eating bugs on TV.
"Then again, perhaps if those emails came to light no TV station would touch him with a barge pole. ITV should do the decent thing and remove him from the programme."
Andrew Smith, a Conservative councillor on West Suffolk Council, said: "If I was him I wouldn't have done it, to be perfectly truthful, but I'm not him.
"It's not a show I would watch or indeed I would personally do - I don't like eating things that I don't know where they've come from, if you get my drift."
Labour MP Ben Bradshaw said: “The Tories have given up all pretence of serving the national interest or their constituents. This demeaning and money grubbing move sums up the rotten state of the Conservative Party and why Britain needs a general election and a fresh start now”.
