Good Morning Britain’s Richard Madeley has asked Matt Hancock if he only signed up to take in a Ukrainian refugee in order to “rebuild his reputation” after the explosive revelations of his affair last year.
The West Suffolk MP yesterday announced that he will open his home to refugees fleeing conflict in Ukraine, alongside around 43,000 fellow Brits who have signed up.
In a post on social media, Hancock said he “strongly welcomes” the government's Homes for Ukraine scheme which will allow people across the UK to offer a room or home rent-free to Ukrainians.
“I will be signing up and opening my home to support our Ukrainian friends,” he added.
The disgraced politician appeared on Good Morning Britain to detail his decision in a discussion with Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid, saying that he will house a refugee in his constituency home.
But after CCTV images of his clinch with aide Gina Coladangelo in his personal office were leaked last year and brought about his resignation as health secretary, host Richard insisted on addressing the “elephant in the room”.
He said: “We all know there will be cynics watching this and people who will go online, on Twitter, on social media and say that the reason you’re doing this is to help rebuild your reputation after you had a bad political fall and you’re sort on in the wilderness and that’s why you’re doing this to basically improve your standing.
“What would you say to people who say that?”
But Hancock insisted the facts of the matter were “completely the other way around”.
He said: “This came from me doing constituency work, which doesn’t often get talked about, but all MP’s do it and nearly all of them really enjoy it.”
Hancock noted that he was appearing on BBC Radio Suffolk yesterday morning to discuss the scheme when the host asked him if he was going to sign up and he confirmed he would.
He said to Richard: "I was on BBC Radio Suffolk talking about the scheme and I was asked straight up, 'You're encouraging other people to sign up, are you going to sign up?' and I just answered the question.
"Then your team phoned and said could you come on, so I didn't do this in order to do it so publicly."
He added: “But if by me coming on and us having this discussion, if I can encourage one more person to sign up to this scheme by coming on and talking to you, then it will be worth it.”
Hancock has left his wife, with whom he has three children, to live with the PR and lobbying manager Coladangelo, who at the time was a non-executive director at the health department and is also married with three children.
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV.
