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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
Dave Burke

Grieving families call on public to vote 'narcissist' Matt Hancock out of jungle

Disgusted families who lost loved ones to Covid have urged viewers not to let Matt Hancock triumph in the jungle.

The former Health Secretary is accused of "dancing on the grave of so many people" as he progresses through I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!

Mr Hancock - who had the Tory whip withdrawn after announcing he was taking part in the ITV show - has so far survived public votes, much to the dismay of grieving families.

Distraught relatives told The Mirror they have recently given evidence for the upcoming Covid Inquiry, and seeing the Tory MP brazenly laughing and joking on the ITV show has been devastating.

Tiffany Jones, whose dad Colin died in hospital in Portsmouth just days before Christmas in 2020, told The Mirror: "I can't watch it. I normally watch it every year, but I can't with him in it.

"I can't understand why he's there, his mistakes cost the lives of thousands of people across the country.

Tiffany Jones lost her dad Colin to Covid nearly two years ago (tiffany louise Jones)

"It's dancing on the graves of so many people, it's why we're so upset."

Tiffany, 42, has relived seeing her father die for the inquiry in the hope of seeing Mr Hancock held accountable. She added: "It's hard to see him having fun and making jokes.

"It turns the death of all those innocent people into a farce, it's so sad that we're such an unsympathetic nation."

Jean Adamson, whose father Aldrick died at his London care home after contracting the virus in April 2020, said: "We've just started the inquiry, it's all very fresh. It's just sickening, it really compounds the grief.

Elena Ciesco, pictured with dad Luigi, voiced her fury over Matt Hancock being on the show (Supplied)
Football fan Richard Mawson died from Covid after attending a notorious Champions League clash in Liverpool (Supplied)

"This is about Matt Hancock serving his own interests. He's a complete narcissist, he's self-serving and he wants to be liked."

"The most vulnerable people in the country were sitting ducks, every time I hear his line about forming a protective ring around care homes I know it was rubbish, it was a lie. That's what he presided over.

"We want him to focus on supporting the inquiry and telling the truth."

Elena Ciesco, whose former NHS worker dad Luigi died aged 79 after contracting Covid in hospital in Surrey, said: "I tried to watch it but I couldn't at all, it was so triggering.

"My dad was the most amazing man, he was so kind and compassionate, everything Matt Hancock isn't. I can't believe ITV gave him that contract. I hope there are repercussions for his actions."

Devastated families are incensed that Matt Hancock is taking part in the show (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Also sharing his anger was Jamie Mawson, whose father Richard, 70, died weeks after attending a now-notorious Champions League clash between Liverpool and Athletico Madrid at Anfield in March 2020.

Around 3,000 Spanish fans were allowed into the UK despite their home city being in lockdown - a decision Jamie believes cost his dad his life.

"Matt Hancock isn't a celebrity, he's a former Health Secretary who failed massively. ITV should be looking at themselves, it's absolutely disgraceful. We've been through enough without having him on our TVs every evening.

"I'm surprised that the British public have kept him in, I don't think he'll win but for him to still be in is an absolute disgrace."

The announcement that Mr Hancock would be featured on the show - even though Parliament is still sitting - sparked an outcry earlier this month.

Lobby Akinnola, from the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice campaign, said: “Matt Hancock isn’t a ‘celebrity’, he’s the former health secretary who oversaw the UK having one of the highest death tolls in the world from Covid-19 whilst breaking his own lockdown rules.

“The fact that he is trying to cash in on his terrible legacy, rather than showing some humility or seeking to reflect on the appalling consequences of his time in Government, says it all about the sort of person he is."

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