Thousands of people have called for ITV to ditch West Suffolk MP Matt Hancock from it's I’m A Celebrity line-up. More than 36,900 people have already signed a 38 degrees petition, set up by Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice on the 38 Degrees website, calling on ITV to rescind the ex-minister’s invite to the Jungle.
Among them are many who lost loved ones during the pandemic and have expressed their "pain and anguish" and don't want to see the man who oversaw Britain’s Covid response appearing alongside pop stars and actors on the ITV show.
Ann O'Connor, from Durham, lost her beloved mother Elsie Matthewson to Covid-19 in April 2020. Elsie, who had been "strong" and "a fighter" through a number of illnesses, was living in a care home - but despite Matt Hancock's claims to have put "a protective ring" around care homes, the virus had got in.
After Elsie died, Ann remembers seeing Matt Hancock on the news, talking about the measures the Government were taking, and feeling distraught and furious that they had failed to protect her mum. When she learnt the MP would soon be on TV again, but on the popular reality show, Ann felt "sick".
She said: "I felt sick to my stomach: one, he doesn't deserve to be taken over to Australia and be paid for a holiday, and two, I don't want to see his face on a show that I have watched every year. Seeing him brings it all back.
"He should be spending his time helping with the Covid inquiry. At the end of the day, I believe he made a complete mess of the whole thing, and decent people who mess up put their hands up, and say 'sorry, I did this, I thought it was right but it wasn't good enough' - and then they keep a low profile. They don't go on reality TV and make a load of money."
Sophie Stuchfield, from Watford, lost her "brilliant" Nan, Kathleen, to Covid-19 after the care home she was living in accepted Covid-19 patients from a nearby hospital, shortly after Kathleen's 99th birthday.
Sophie said: "Ultimately, Matt Hancock was the person in charge at the time that that happened, that the decision was made to allow Covid patients to be discharged into hospitals. And now, he wants to be treated as a celebrity? It's totally wrong.
"I'm A Celebrity is a show that's meant to be fun and enjoyable, to take the mickey out of people, and him being on a show like that almost takes the mickey out of what happened, what he was in charge of. Nevermind the fact that he's meant to be at work - if I was one of his constituents, I would be furious.
"He needs to take some responsibility and say 'no, I'm not a celebrity, this isn't right'.”
Lobby Akinnola, a member of the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Group, who lost his dad to Covid-19, said: "We want to move on with our lives. We want to be able to switch on the TV, relax and watch programmes like “I’m a celebrity…” without thinking of the trauma of the past two and half years, just like we would have done before the pandemic. We can’t do that when insensitive decisions like presenting Matt Hancock as a reality TV star are being made without any consideration for us.
"We’re asking ITV to please do the decent thing and remove him from the programme. We hope ITV will do the right thing."
Marion Gleeson, from Hartlepool, added: “I was appalled. I lost someone very close to my family and my daughter is and was working for the NHS during the pandemic. It is an insult to everyone.”
Louise Davies, from Hereford, said she was “absolutely disgusted” at Mr Hancock’s TV appearance. She said: “I got so ill from Covid-19 that I had a heart attack and spent two weeks in hospital with no visitors, and I was extremely lonely. What he did makes a mockery of the whole thing.”
Meanwhile, NHS workers have also shared their anger at seeing the ex-Health Secretary heading to the jungle while he’s meant to be at work.
Barbara Richards, from Wantage, worked for the NHS throughout the pandemic. She said: “How dare Matt Hancock fly to Australia when Parliament is still sitting!”
Sarah Jordan, from Islington, who worked as an intensive care nurse throughout lockdown, said she was “disgusted” by the ex-minister’s decision.
Others who added their names to the petition expressed their fury that an MP could appear on reality television while Parliament is sitting.
Robert Prosser, from Cambridgeshire, said: “He should not be exploiting his position to make money, particularly as he broke his own rules and his decisions resulted in people’s deaths.”
Kate Gilbert, from Reading, said she was “disgusted” by the politician’s TV appearance, adding: “He is a serving MP and the house is sitting. He should be doing the job we, the public, pay him for.”
Robin Priestley, campaigns director at 38 Degrees, said: “Within hours of this petition being set up, tens of thousands of people had already added their names, and it’s hardly a surprise. People are furious at seeing a serving MP leaving work to boost his own profile on reality TV. Add to that the fact that Matt Hancock is best known for his role as Health Secretary during a pandemic that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives - before he resigned in disgrace for breaking his own lockdown rules - and you can see why so many are so angry. ITV should listen to the public: remove him from the Jungle and send him back to do his job.”
Earlier this week, the former Health Secretary said he has gone to Australia so he can “go to where the people are — not to sit in ivory towers in Westminster”. Writing in The Sun, Mr Hancock said: “While there will undoubtedly be those who think I shouldn’t go, I think it’s a great opportunity to talk directly to people who aren’t always interested in politics, even if they care very much about how our country’s run.
“It’s our job as politicians to go to where the people are — not to sit in ivory towers in Westminster. “There are many ways to do the job of being an MP. Whether I’m in camp for one day or three weeks, there are very few places people will be able to see a politician as they really are.”
He added: “So, the truth is, I haven’t lost my marbles or had one too many pina coladas. It’s something I’ve given a lot of thought to. I was elected by the people, and it’s important to engage with voters, especially younger voters, no matter where they are, and show the human side of politicians.”
