I'm A Celeb: Six questions that The Star readers would ask Matt Hancock if they were in the Jungle

Matt Hancock joined I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! on Tuesday, November 8.

Since he entered the jungle he has been stung by a scorpion, faced multiple Bushtucker trials and has been voted leader of the camp.

The former Health Secretary was suspended due to his TV debut and will not be supporting the people of West Suffolk (his constituency). They will be without an MP whilst he is on the show.

The Sheffield Star asked its readers what questions they would ask Matt Hancock if they were in the jungle alongside the MP.

Liz Hancock wishes to ask Matt Hancock why he is appearing on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!

Before entering the jungle the MP said that he signed up as he believed he could reach a different audience by being on the show. He said that I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! would allow him to speak directly to people who don’t usually engage with politics.

The reality TV show attracts millions of viewers a year and the politician has said that he wishes to use that audience to raise awareness of dyslexia, a condition that he suffers with himself.

However, critics have pointed out that he has a book coming out in early December and his appearance on the show is a very good promotion for his new project. The book is titled ‘Pandemic Diaries’ and will be released on Tuesday, December 6, just eight days after the I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! final.

Penny Carver-Irvine said she would ask Matt Hancock why he is taking payment for being on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! and also ask why he is not donating the money to charity?

It has been reported that Matt Hancock is being paid £400,000 to appear on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! That would make him one of the highest paid contestants of all time. Noel Edmonds is at the top of the list with £600,000 and his fellow camp mate Boy George is being paid £500,000.

The MP will be donating some of his fee to charity but it is not known how much. A spokesperson for Matt Hancock has said: “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.”

Elaine Jackson wants to ask the MP why he isn’t in the UK doing his political job and “helping his constituents”?

Matt Hancock is the MP for West Suffolk, a position he has held since 2010. When he announced he would be taking part on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! he was suspended from the Conservative Party.

Chief Whip Simon Hart made the decision to suspend him and said this in a statement after the news broke: “following a conversation with Matt Hancock, I have considered the situation and believe this is a matter serious enough to warrant suspension of the whip with immediate effect.”

I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! usually lasts around three weeks, meaning Matt Hancock may be away from his political career for the better part of a month.

Wendy Robinson Ragan said she would ask him why he thinks he is a celebrity.

It is unusual to see politicians on reality TV shows but not impossible. Ed Balls appeared on the 2016 season of Strictly Come Dancing and Penny Mordaunt was a contestant on Splash! in 2014.

Matt Hancock’s status as a celebrity has been brought under question by the group Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK. They launched a petition to remove him from the jungle and said: “Families were ripped apart by Matt Hancock’a actions, and turning on the TV to see him being paraded as a joke is sickening. Matt Hancock isn’t a ‘celebrity’, he is the health secretary who oversaw the UK having one of the highest death tolls in the world from Covid-19 whilst breaking his own lockdown rules.”

Louise Abakanowicz-Williams wants to ask the MP what he plans to do to help people suffering through the current energy crisis.

The energy crisis continues to worsen for the people of the UK who have been warned there may even be planned blackouts if a worst case scenario is reached. Bills have skyrocketed for most households and there doesn’t yet seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel.

The government is providing emergency relief to all households in the UK this winter with a £400 payment to help ease the rise in bills.

Margaret Thompson said that she would simply ask the former Health Secretary about his fellow camp mates.

This year, the contestants include Boy George, Mike Tindall and Chris Moyles. Matt Hancock was a surprise late arrival to the jungle, a decision that shocked not just viewers at home but his fellow contestants.

Comedian Seann Walsh could not hide his surprise to see the MP enter the show and broadcaster Charlene White was quick to ask Matt tough questions about his intentions in the jungle. Matt has not made many close friends on the show but the contestants have been amicable with the politician so far.