Moves have been set in motion to ban MPs from appearing in reality TV shows. The bid comes after sitting MP Matt Hancock swapped parliament for the jungle with his appearance on I’m A Celebrity.
The MP left many of his constituents angry over his time spent out of the country. He is reported as earning £400,000 for his spell in the Australian camp.
Now according to the Mirror, the Lib Dems are seeking to stop other MPs from doing the same. by tabling an Early Day Motion, dubbed the “Bushtucker Bill''. This is calling for Westminster’s rules to be changed to stop MPs from taking part in reality TV programmes abroad for weeks at a time while Parliament is sitting.
The bill was tabled by Lib Dem MP Christine Jardine who said: “This Bushtucker Bill is designed to stop MPs following in Matt Hancock’s shameful footsteps to the jungle. Hancock disgracefully deserted his constituents for the sake of his ego. In any other job he’d have been sacked for going AWOL.”
The EDM, which was published today, says: “That this House believes that there should be a change to the House’s Code of Conduct to set a limit to the number of days members can spend being paid to take part in the recording of entertainment television programmes abroad while the House is sitting.”
Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock was stripped of the Tory whip earlier this month after heading to the jungle. Tory MPs have until Monday to decide whether to seek re-election.
Unless the whip is restored by then, the party may be forced to choose a new candidate for Mr Hancock’s seat, which he won with a 23,194 majority in December 2019. Voters in his West Suffolk constituency, along with some leading Conservative councillors, want him to quit.
His spokesman has insisted the MP “has no intention of standing down or stepping away from politics”.
Ms Jardine said: “Matt Hancock spent days crawling through snakes instead of trawling through casework. He won food for campmates while his constituents wondered how they will feed their families this winter. People facing soaring bills deserve MPs who listen to their concerns and stand up for them, not use their position to appear in reality TV shows."
Mr Hancock's spokesman said: "Matt's excellent team continues to deal with constituency matters, as they already do while he's in Westminster. Matt has been working while he's been in Australia and show producers agreed before he went on the show that he could communicate with his team if there was an urgent constituency matter.
"Matt will be making a donation to St Nicholas Hospice in Suffolk and causes supporting dyslexia - including the British Dyslexia Association, off the back of his appearance. He will, of course, declare the amount he receives from the show to Parliament to ensure complete transparency, as normal."
