Former shadow chancellor Ed Balls has said he thinks Matt Hancock is “totally crackers” to be taking part in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
The MP was suspended from the parliamentary Conservative Party on Tuesday after he was revealed as a surprise extra name added to the list of contenders for the ITV reality show.
Mr Balls told viewers on ITV’S Good Morning Britain that he is worried it could be a misjudgment by the former health secretary.
He said: “Personally, I think good luck to him. But I think he is totally crackers to do this.
“Because I think it’s the wrong place to do it from, the wrong time and the wrong programme. To do it as a sitting MP just brings all these questions.
“He’s lost the whip, Sunak, the prime minister, is clearly furious, his constituents are going to be up in arms. He’s been paid to do this while he’s also going to the jungle.
“I mean, look, to be fair, Boris Johnson was on a Caribbean beach two weeks ago and he’s a sitting MP. But you know, this is a different thing.
“Secondly, this is the guy who was the health secretary during the pandemic, we have not had the inquiry yet.
“And therefore, it just brings back for so many people so much pain and suffering and it’s not something that you can make light of, until we’ve gone through that inquiry process.”
Mr Balls, who took part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2016, compared the BBC dancing contest to the ITV reality TV show – which starts on Sunday.
“And then finally, Strictly, nice, warm, fun programme. I’m A Celebrity is tough. And you know, the other contestants will be, you know, I think supportive,” he said.
“And if he gets the tokens and brings in the food, then he’ll be popular. But, you know, I mean, to eat an ostrich anus, live on television, while still a sitting MP and then ask the public do you want to see me do it again?
“I think they might want to see him do it. … I just worry for him that, wrong programme, wrong timing, wrong place to do it from, shouldn’t be doing it, but, you know, it’s gonna be fun, isn’t it? We’re looking forward to it.”
Tony Blackburn, who won the first season of I’m A Celebrity in 2002, said he understands why people are finding it “difficult” to comprehend Mr Hancock’s entry into the jungle.
He told BBC Breakfast: “I understand people who lost their relatives, I myself lost my sister to Covid when I was being told I couldn’t go and see her, I didn’t manage to get to her funeral so I can understand people being angry about that.
“On the other hand, I can understand why he’s going in there. He’s now a backbencher, a lot of MPs have gone into reality shows and of course a lot of people will say this is our chance to get our own back because they can vote him to do the most appalling bush tucker trials.
“Of course, he is going in there to talk about dyslexia as well and some of the money he’s being paid is going to go to charity. It’s a very, very tricky one.”
The 79-year-old broadcaster said he believes Mr Hancock is probably going on to show a different side to him, but he insisted the reality show is “tough.”
He said: “Some people go in there to show a different side to them, I think that is probably what Matt Hancock is doing, I don’t think he has much future as an MP anymore so he’s looking forward to what he does after that.
“I think it’s just the timing for him is bad, we’re in the middle of a crisis and people did lose relatives during his time at the NHS.
“I loved being in the jungle, I thought it was absolutely fantastic and I think it changed me as a person very much for the better – but it is tough. It’s much tougher than it was.”
On Tuesday, West Suffolk MP Mr Hancock insisted his “first priority” is to his constituents as he flew over 10,000 miles to join the ITV show.
Vice president of the West Suffolk Conservative Association Fiona Unwin said they were “shocked” and “very disappointed” to hear the news.
She said: “In the West Suffolk Conservative Association there’s very much a feeling that he has done something very disappointing, we wish he hadn’t done it.
“He is being paid to be our MP. He knows he’s not going to get a job in Government at the moment and so he had been asked several times to do this I’m A Celebrity programme, but he only accepted it just at the last minute – I’m sure it’s because he thought he wasn’t going to get a job.
“I can see why a lot of people are upset, I lost my mum in the lockdown and it was simply terrible. But I suppose he has moved on and we’re all still thinking of our loved ones. It’s perhaps insensitive but he is very positive he will bounce back.”
Mr Hancock is facing questions over whether he broke rules on seeking permission over jobs taken within two years of leaving office.
Mr Hancock did not seek advice from the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) before agreeing to the appearance, the PA news agency understands.
Lord Pickles, the Conservative chairman of the anti-corruption watchdog, which advises on post-ministerial jobs, is expected to write to Mr Hancock to demand clarification.
Under the rules, Mr Hancock should seek clearance from Acoba for any new employment or appointments he takes on until next June.
Mr Hancock was forced to quit as health secretary in June 2021 after breaking coronavirus social distancing rules by having an affair in his ministerial office with aide Gina Coladangelo.
The House of Commons is in recess from November 10-14 but celebrities could spend up to three weeks in the jungle – meaning Mr Hancock would miss significant Commons business, including the Autumn Statement on November 17, if he remains in the contest.
