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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
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Marina Hyde

Is this a star on the rise, ‘just Ken’, or just Matt Hancock? Ask the families who lost loved ones during Covid

Matt Hancock at the the Virgin Money London marathon, 2021
‘We already know the ill-fated Matt Hancock MP doll is set to be discontinued, next election.’ Photograph: Yui Mok/PA

What does Matt Hancock want from us? The question arises once more after a video is posted to the former health secretary’s TikTok account. Behold, Matt emoting down a beach at sunset, miming passionately along a fraction behind the beat of I’m Just Ken, Ryan Gosling’s uber-beta big number from the Barbie movie. We live in a polarised world, so your reaction to this will be either “ooh, new CIA torture track just dropped” or “awww, there goes the world’s most adorable and vanity-free dad, just larking around in linen leisurewear his girlfriend has assured him is ‘such an improvement’. Matt’s job is beach, and he absolutely smashes it.”

Technically, of course, Matt has a side hustle as member of parliament for West Suffolk – but we already know the ill-fated Matt Hancock MP doll is set to be discontinued, next election. An event which often feels quite far away. But which, given it could precipitate a sharp increase in Matt churning out this type of stuff, is arguably bearing down on us much too soon.

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