Viewers of hit ITV reality show I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! are tuning in each evening to watch Matt Hancock attempt to make his way in the Australian jungle.
Those unaware of the politician’s past might be struggling to understand why he caused so much of a stir in the camp of varyingly famous people, with popstar Boy George being reduced to tears by Mr Hancock’s arrival.
This emotional reaction lies in his role as health secretary in Boris Johnson’s government during the pandemic.
Before accepting his government career was over and signing a reputed £400,000 deal to trade Westminster for the bush, Mr Hancock, 44, was known to much of the British public as the man who held the lives of millions in his hands as he led the government’s medical response to the deadly coronavirus.
George, the Culture Club singer, said his mum was seriously ill in hospital during lockdown. “I wasn’t allowed to see her. I thought she was going to die,” he said, adding that he would have walked off the show when Mr Hancock arrived had she died.
Mr Hancock’s exit from government was infamous, sparked by a full-page picture on the front of The Sun showing the married minister kissing an aide despite lockdown rules being in place.
CCTV images showed Mr Hancock embracing his adviser Gina Coladangelo on 6 May 2021 when guidance on social distancing were still in place, with hugging between people from different households recommended against.
He resigned on 26 June, after some three years in the job. It was not the first time Mr Hancock had faced a negative headline during his time in office.
The circumstances of his departure caused a stir in the jungle within days of his arrival. On camp, TV presenter and property expert Scarlette Douglas told Mr Hancock there were “a lot of things that happened with you during the times, which does make it difficult because people are angry and upset – emotions are running high.”
Ms Douglas continued: “It was hard. A lot of people had difficult times. And then to see that people that had kind of set the rules had then broken them, I think was a big slap in the face for everyone.”
Around the time Mr Hancock resigned, Mr Johnson’s former aide Dominic Cummings had shared text messages in which the then-prime minister was said to have called the health secretary “hopeless”.
Mr Cummings accused the senior minister of lying to the prime minister over promises to protect those in care homes during the first wave of Covid-19 infections by testing new residents before being admitted. Mr Hancock dismissed claims.
The High Court later ruled the government’s policy unlawful, after more than 40,000 care home residents had died from causes involving Covid.
The government’s scientific advisers warned in February 2020 that Covid could possibly be passed by people even if they were showing no symptoms.
Evidence supporting this case built throughout March but the judge in the High Court case said there was no evidence Mr Hancock had addressed the risk to care home residents of allowing the admission of untested hospital patients.
The High Court earlier ruled that Mr Hancock had acted unlawfully by handing out PPE contracts without publishing details on the recipients in the set deadline of 30 days.
Mr Cummings later told a parliamentary committee that “tens of thousands of people died who didn’t need to die” during the pandemic due to government blunders and that Mr Hancock should have been fired on “15 to 20” different occasions.
Mr Hancock, who in 2018 became the only MP in British politics to launch his own app, took only eight years from his first days as West Suffolk MP to rise to health secretary.
The Oxford and Cambridge-educated father-of-three previously worked as an economist at the Bank of England and as chief of staff to George Osborne when he was shadow chancellor of the exchequer, before taking a seat in the Commons.
The Cheshire-raised politician first attended cabinet after being appointed Minister for the Cabinet Office in 2015 by then prime minister David Cameron. Mr Cameron’s successor Theresa May later promoted him to the role of culture secretary.
The 42-year-old initially threw his hat into the ring to replace Mrs May in No 10 during the 2019 Conservative Party leadership contest but withdrew from the leadership race part way through and was quick to throw his weight behind Mr Johnson, the eventual victor.
After Mr Johnson’s downfall this summer, he was an enthusiastic backer of Mr Sunak and speculation persisted that he still harboured a return to a government role. He was embarassingly passed over by Mr Sunak, despite having strongly hinted in public comments that he wanted to return to cabinet.
His decision to join I’m a Celebrity prompted mockery, as well as swift repercussions politically. He had the Tory whip removed on the same day news of his jungle ambitions broke and Mr Sunak said he was “disappointed” by the MP’s decision to effectively abandon his constituents for as many as three weeks.
Allies said Mr Hancock would use his appearance to promote his backbench work on dyslexia, as he tried to “embrace” popular culture.
“Politicians like Matt must go to where the people are – particularly those who are politically disengaged,” one ally said.
Others were less flattering. Andy Drummond, deputy political chair of West Suffolk Conservative Association, said: “I’m looking forward to him eating a kangaroo’s penis. Quote me. You can quote me that.”
