Rishi Sunak has said he is “very disappointed” in Matt Hancock for joining ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’
The prime minister said he backed the decision to remove the Tory whip from the former health secretary for signing up to go into the jungle.
And he said he would not have time to watch his former colleague be put through his places on the hit ITV reality show.
Speaking on his way to the Cop27 climate summit in Egypt, Sunak told The Sun: “I think politics is a noble profession, at its best – it can and should be – but it’s incumbent on politicians to earn people’s respect and trust.
“They do that by working hard for their constituents, as the vast majority of MPs do – that is why I was very disappointed with Matt’s decision.”
Asked whether he would be watching the programme, Sunak: “I genuinely won’t have the time is the honest answer.”
Hancock - who is reportedly receiving £400,000 for going on the show - has insisted that he is going into the jungle so he can communicate directly with ordinary voters.
But business secretary Grant Shapps joined in the criticism of his former cabinet colleague.
He told Sky News: “I just think he should be here looking after his constituents, rather than in the jungle somewhere.
“So, no, I won’t be [watching]. I won’t be voting for him. I can’t promise I’ll be voting for anyone at all. So that might just be (by) omission rather than anything else.”