Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle: Matt Hancock must ‘answer to constituents’ over I’m a Celeb
Matt Hancock will have to “answer to his constituents” over his decision to travel to Australia to appear in I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here, according to Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle.
Hoyle said that he personally would “absolutely not” choose to “go running around a jungle eating kangaroos’ testicles”.
The former health secretary, who resigned last year after breaking Covid-19 rules to have an affair, has been suspended as a Tory MP for appearing on the show during the parliamentary calendar.
Hancock is reportedly being paid around £400,000 for appearing as a contestant in the show, which sees celebrities put through arduous physical and mental challenges.
Previous contestants have had to eat things like ostrich anus, kangaroo testicles and live bugs as a part of challenges.
When asked about Hancock’s decision to appear on the show, Hoyle told Sky News: “It’s not what I think. It’s what his constituents think, because they’re the people that matter. We’re elected to represent those people, they voted for him and they will have the answer.
“If they don’t like it, they’ll get rid of us. And that’s where he will be answerable. He will come back and he will have to answer to his constituents. He’s made that decision.”
He added: “Would I do it, I think is a better question and the answer is I’m a member of parliament, am I going to go running around a jungle eating kangaroos’ testicles?
“Absolutely not. No, no is the answer. I wouldn’t do it.”
The ITV show begins later this week and Hancock has already flown out to Australia to prepare for the programme.
The MP said he was going on the show to promote awareness of dyslexia, a cause he has taken up since resigning as health secretary last year, and that he will donate some of his fee to charity.