Rishi Sunak has condemned Matt Hancock for failing to take seriously the privilege of being an MP by eating camel’s penis and cow’s anus on TV.
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.
Mr Sunak, who is attending the G20 summit in Indonesia, said he was “disappointed” Mr Hancock had chosen to fly 10,000 miles around the world to take part in the programme while Parliament is sitting.
He argued that he should be prioritising the challenges faced by this country. “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.”
In a separate interview with ITV News, Mr Sunak declined to say whether Mr Hancock should step down as an MP.
He said: “Ultimately it's a question for his constituents at an election. It's right that the chief whip removed the Conservative whip from Matt Hancock.”
