Third place runner-up Matt Hancock might have won over some viewers of I’m A Celebrity, but he faces a tougher crowd when he goes face-to-face with MPs this week.
Many have already spoken of their anger at him leaving his constituents behind to go to the jungle in Australia for three weeks to be on TV.
He was suspended from the Tory party for his decision, which meant he missed the crucial November 17 debate and vote on the Autumn Statement.
A spokesperson for Mr Hancock told Sky News yesterday that ‘Matt has no intention of standing down or stepping away from politics.’
But how he feels after facing the music with angry MPs in Parliament this week could be a challenge.
The former health secretary is expected to return to Westminster for the second reading of his Dyslexia Screening and Teacher Training Bill in the Commons on Friday.
He is also expected to spend time in his constituency this week.
But there are questions over his political future after he finished third-place finish on ITV’s I’m A Celeb, behind ‘Queen of the Jungle’ footballer Jill Scott and Hollyoaks actor Owen Warner.
Speculation has been mounting over whether he will have the Conservative whip restored and seek to run again at the next election.
His appearance was controversial not only for leaving his job as an MP behind to go on the show, but because of his record during the pandemic.
He quit as health secretary after being caught breaking his own social distancing rules by having an affair with his aide while both were married to other people.
And decisions he took during the pandemic, such as allowing Covid-positive patients to be discharged to care homes, led to the virus spreading to more vulnerable people.
Mr Hancock had vowed to use the ‘incredible platform’ offered by I’m A Celeb to raise awareness of the learning difficulty.
A spokesman for Mr Hancock said: ‘The second reading of Matt’s Dyslexia Screening and Teacher Training Bill is in Parliament on Friday December 2 – just days after the final of I’m A Celebrity.
‘By going on the show, Matt has raised the profile of his dyslexia campaign and has used the platform to talk about an issue he really cares about in front of millions of people.
‘Matt is determined that no child should leave primary school not knowing if they have dyslexia.
‘Matt will be making a donation to St Nicholas Hospice in Suffolk and causes supporting dyslexia – including the British Dyslexia Association, off the back of his appearance.’
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