Celebrity negativity

Yesterday's front pages made uncomfortable reading for Matt Hancock. "King of the bungle," was the headline in Metro. "The man with no shame," trumpeted the Daily Mirror. "Suspended! Fury over Hancock joining I'm a Celeb," declared the Daily Express.  And those were nothing compared to the montagePiecing together different images. in the Daily Star.

The paper put Hancock's face - plus a red nose - on a bug surrounded by thick foliage. "Creepy crawly coco," ran the headline, followed by "you've gotta feel sorry for the bugs".

It is not Hancock's first time hitting the headlines. Last year, he was forced to resign when The Sun revealed he had broken social-distancing rules while having an affair with one of his advisers. People whose friends and relatives had died alone in hospital were particularly upset.

The campaign group Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice¹ called his decision "sickening". It called for his removal from the programme.

Others are outraged by his decision to travel to Australia for a reality TV show while parliament is sitting. Hancock has now been suspended by the Conservative Party, though he continues to be an MP.

But Hancock has defended himself in an article for The Sun.

"I think it's a great opportunity to talk directly to people who aren't always interested in politics," he writes. "It's our job as politicians to go to where the people are - not to sit in ivory towersA phrase meaning to live a privileged life far removed from the concerns of ordinary people. in Westminster... we must wake up and embrace popular culture."

He says he hopes to draw attention to a campaign he is running to help children with dyslexiaA common learning difficulty involving reading, writing and spelling. - "even if it means taking an unusual route to get there". He also says that he plans to give part of his fee to charity.

Hancock is not the first MP to appear on I'm a Celebrity. In 2012, Nadine DorriesA British Conservative politician. was temporarily suspended by the Conservatives for taking part. And the former leader of the Scottish Labour Party, Kezia Dugdale, was a contestant in 2017.

Is Matt Hancock wrong to appear on I'm a Celebrity? 

Yes: Hancock is only famous because he was health minister during the pandemic.  It is outrageous for him to use that platform to make money. And anyway, he should be representing the people of West Suffolk.

No: Hancock is right to say that the show is a chance to connect with people who do not normally listen to politicians. If he can get his message about dyslexia across, that will be a great achievement.

Or... Hancock's decision is not as bad as that of another contestant, Mike Tindall. He is married to King Charles's niece Zara Phillips, and will cause the British royal family huge embarrassment by taking part.