He has received widespread criticism from across the country and all walks of life right up to the Prime Minister.
But deluded MP Matt Hancock still can't help entertaining the idea of winning I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here.
The 44-year-old former health secretary will be seen in camp from Wednesday night alongside fellow late entry, comedian Seann Walsh.
In his final interview before entering the show Hancock gave the impression he was on a crusade for every politician, and failed to mention the main reason for coming to Australia is likely to be a six figure payday.
Hancock said: "Politicians are people too and it will be nice for people to see me as me. We are human too.
“Lots of people have a view on me from being Health Secretary in the pandemic dealing with some very difficult issues, but that’s not the whole story. I am looking forward to throwing myself into it all like I do everything in life. You can’t hide anything in the jungle, you see somebody warts and all.”
At 40/1 there is no chance he will be king of the jungle but Hancock said winning would be "the icing on the cake and that would be wonderful”.
But in a rare moment of reality, he added: “I am not expecting it. My family are very supportive of me taking part on I’m A Celebrity.
“I think you will learn things about yourself. You have all that time to think about what is important.”
So perhaps the jungle will give Hancock the time to think about his time as a failed health secretary.
In April he apologised after the High Court ruled government policies on discharging patients from hospital into care homes at the onset of the pandemic were "unlawful".
And in June 2021 he was forced to resign after CCTV footage surfaced of him embracing his aide Gina Coladangelo at a time when this would breach his own rules on physical contact. It also ended his 15 year marriage.
His decision to sign up for I'm A Celebrity led to him being suspended from the Conservative party.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was "disappointed" in Hancock and would not be watching.
Another Tory MP Tim Loughton described Mr Hancock as an “absolute prat” and campaigners for families bereaved in the Covid-19 pandemic accused him of trying to “cash in on his terrible legacy”.
Hancock insists he has received a lot of support, despite very little evidence of this back in the UK, and he had his Conservative Party whip suspended.
Matt added: “I informed the Whip and I gave my reasons. I have had a lot of supportive messages from people who can see what I am trying to do to show that politicians are people too.”
Revealing he does enjoy watching I’m A Celebrity, Matt said his biggest fear is coming up close and personal with real life snakes.
“I have never come across a snake at close quarters and so I am pretty worried about anything to do with snakes,” he says.
“I am not claustrophobic or at least I haven’t been found to be but that’s the thing about I’m A Celebrity – it is the unknown."
Hancock and Seann Walsh are now both on their way into jungle and viewers will see them in camp for the first time on Wednesday night.
A jungle showdown is expected when Hancock arrives with ITV newsreader Charlene White favourite to ask what the hell he is doing there.
He also no longer able to have access to a laptop and will be out of contact from constituents for up to three weeks
Before going onto the show she was asked whether she would probe the other celebs.
Charlene had said: "I have got a natural curiosity for people so it doesn’t matter who I meet on a daily basis it could be, I don’t know the security that has been working on this show, or people I bump into on the street, I am constantly asking questions because I love to learn about people.
"I think that you can learn a lot about life by asking questions and I think there is too much of a temptation for people to not be interested in other human beings, whereas I am of the opinion like ‘oh my God there is like a million stories in each and every one of us’ why do you not want to find out more about another person."
Other campmates who could take issue with Hancock include outspoken singer Boy George and Corrie actor Sue Cleaver who has campaigned for Labour in previous elections.
Asked how he thinks his campmates might react, Hancock said: “I have no idea what they are going to think.
“I am a pretty cheerful person and so I hope I can keep everyone’s morale up. I like to muck in and I think I will be picking up a lot of firewood for everyone. I hope to do my bit when it comes to cooking too.”
Quizzed on whether he thinks his colleagues in Parliament and the British public will be on speed dial voting for him to take part in the trials, Matt replied: “I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up doing some of the trials!
"I am hoping I can win some stars for the camp, but most of all I am looking forward to being myself.”
Mercifully Hancock does say he will finally get back to his day job when he is voted out of the jungle.
He stresses the first thing he will be doing is returning to Suffolk to hold a surgery with his constituents.
Nevermind the fact some people will have been waiting weeks for an answer to questions they could not put to their MP whilst he was away camping.
Hancock said: “I will be back in Suffolk holding surgeries and in Parliament and we will take it from there.
“There are lots of different ways to communicate with the public and we (politicians) are wrong if we think you can only do that on the traditional political shows where you are mainly only talking to people who take an active interest in politics.
"It’s important we engage with everyone including young people in who our politicians are and this programme is a good way to do that. I am looking forward to it.”
