Calls for Matt Hancock to be ditched from the I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! line-up are growing louder and louder.
A petition created yesterday arguing ITV should reverse their invitation to the Tory MP to enjoy a stint in the Australian jungle has gained over 15,000 signatures from angry British citizens in less than 24 hours.
Actress Kathy Burke, Right Said Fred, Notting Hill actress Lorelei King are among the thousands to back the petition created by Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK, which claims Mr Hancock's reality TV cameo will cause "real pain and anguish to those of us who lost loved ones to Covid-19".
The group made up of 6,000 people bereaved by Covid-19 write in the petition's description how Mr Hancock is not a celebrity but instead, the man "who oversaw the UK having one of the highest death tolls in the world from Covid-19 whilst breaking his own lockdown rules."
Mr Hancock - who receives a £84,144 yearly salary as an elected MP - was forced to quit as health secretary in June 2021 after breaking coronavirus lockdown rules by conducting an affair in his ministerial office with aide Gina Coladangelo.
"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 his person he is," a section explaining the petition's importance reads on 38 Degrees.
"Families were 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 families who lost loved ones to Covid-19, he would be sharing his private emails with the Covid Inquiry, not eating bugs on TV."
The MP for West Suffolk arrived in Australia last night ahead of appearing on the ITV show, but many fans of the long-running reality series have no desire to see the former health secretary appear on their television screens later this month.
Mr Hancock - who was defended by Good Morning Britain presenters earlier today - insisted he 'wasn't losing his marbles' or had 'one too many drinks' as he tried to explain his upcoming venture on reality TV.
"I want to raise the profile of my dyslexia campaign to help every dyslexic child unleash their potential — even if it means taking an unusual route to get there, via the Australian jungle," the former health secretary wrote in The Sun.
But many have slammed ITV's decision to sign the sitting MP up alongside actual celebrities like Chris Moyles, Love Island star Olivia Attwood and royal Mike Tindall and pledged not to tune into this year's series of I'm a Celebrity.
"Matt Hancock was at the very centre of decisions such as locking down late, allowing large scale sporting events to go ahead as the virus ran rampant and failed to get our healthcare workers the PPE they needed," the petition to block Mr Hancock appear on the show continues.
"On top of that he was fired after breaking the rules he helped set.
"His profiteering and shameless search for publicity in the run up to his book launch is another insult to already grieving families."
Explaining their reasons for adding their signature to the petition, one signee wrote: "ITV should hang their heads in shame paying him for 'good telly moments'."
Another reason reads: "Hancock must not be allowed to personally profit from his criminal negligence/corruption/incompetence, that saw 100s of 1000s people die needlessly during the Covid-19 pandemic. He belongs in court, not on TV."
The Mirror has approached ITV for comment regarding the petition.
