Matt Hancock defends joining I'm A Celebrity cast

Matt Hancock has defended his determination to look connected I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! - saying the TV amusement is simply a "powerful tool" to scope young people.

Writing successful the Sun, the erstwhile wellness caput said politicians indispensable "go wherever the radical are" and not "sit successful ivory towers successful Westminster".

"I haven't mislaid my marbles oregon had 1 excessively galore pina coladas," helium wrote.

Mr Hancock was suspended arsenic a Conservative MP aft enactment managers took a dim presumption of his decision.

Simon Hart, the Conservative main whip, said the West Suffolk MP's determination to instrumentality portion successful a world TV amusement portion Parliament was sitting was "serious enough" to warrant the suspension. He remains arsenic an autarkic MP connected afloat pay.

Rishi Sunak's authoritative spokesperson besides said the premier curate believes "MPs should beryllium moving hard for their constituents, whether that is successful the House oregon successful their constituency".

But Mr Hancock has rejected the criticisms, penning that it is the occupation of politicians to prosecute with people.

"Rather than looking down connected world TV, we should spot it for what it is — a almighty instrumentality to get our connection heard by younger generations. In fact, I deliberation it's patronising to perceive immoderate accidental world TV is beneath a politician.

"It's arsenic wide arsenic time that politicians similar maine indispensable spell to wherever the radical are — peculiarly those who are politically disengaged. We indispensable aftermath up and clasp fashionable culture."

Mr Hancock isn't the archetypal person to participate the jungle - helium follows successful the footsteps of erstwhile Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries and ex-Scottish Labour person Kezia Dugdale.

But critics person attacked the MP implicit his impending three-week lack from Parliament, astatine a clip erstwhile vigor costs are spiralling, the authorities is facing a budgetary "black hole" and the warfare successful Ukraine rages on.

Mr Hancock said helium had turned down 2 offers from producers successful the summertime "because of the instability authorities was facing astatine the time".

But helium said with Mr Sunak present successful station arsenic premier minister, the governmental clime was "stable" capable to let him to instrumentality up the accidental - and helium said helium has agreed with the show's producers helium tin beryllium reached astatine immoderate constituent connected immoderate urgent constituency matters.

The erstwhile furniture curate said helium doesn't expect to service successful authorities again, but hopes to usage his clip successful the jungle to rise consciousness astir dyslexia - which helium has himself.

But the run radical Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice called Mr Hancock's determination "sickening", and urged ITV to region him from the programme.

The radical tweeted: "Matt Hancock isn't a 'celebrity', he's the erstwhile wellness caput who oversaw the UK having 1 of the highest decease tolls successful the satellite from Covid-19 whilst breaking his ain lockdown rules."

And Conservative MP Tim Loughton said Mr Hancock had been an "absolute prat" and losing the Tory whip was "the slightest helium deserves".

Others person expressed amusement astatine the thought of the erstwhile curate being subjected to the show's notorious bushtucker trials.

Andy Drummond, lawman president of the West Suffolk Conservative Association, said helium was looking guardant to seeing Mr Hancock "eating a kangaroo's penis".

You tin punctuation maine connected that," Mr Drummond added.