Matt Hancock 'to launch TV career' after announcing he'll quit as MP following I'm A Celebrity appearance
8 December 2022, 06:46
Matt Hancock is planning a TV career after announcing he will not stand in the next election.
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He has said there are exciting options ahead for him, with supporters claiming he could host documentaries on TV.
The ex-health secretary said he will step down as MP for West Suffolk but it emerged his constituency's Tories had been plotting to stop him from standing for the party anyway.
Mr Hancock's fledgling TV career has seen him finish third in I'm A Celebrity and take part in an already-recorded turn on SAS: Who Dares Wins, which is yet to be broadcast.
His supporters say there are "lots of irons in the fire" when it comes to Mr Hancock's projects outside of Parliament.
Announcing his decision to quit at the next election, he said he had "discovered a whole new world of possibilities which I am excited to explore" and insisted politicians needed to find other ways of reaching people.
Read more: 'I want to do things differently': Matt Hancock to quit Parliament after I'm A Celebrity appearance
Tory council member comments on Mr Hancock's performance as a local MP.
Mr Hancock is thought to have banked around £400,000 on ITV’s I'm A Celebrity, which he lost the Tory whip over.
The MP had claimed he wanted to raise awareness about dyslexia but spent much of his time on the show talking about wanting to be forgiven and explaining his affair with aide Gina Coladangelo.
He has launched his new book, the Pandemic Diaries, which serves as his account of how he handled the Covid outbreak.
Read more: James O'Brien lambasts Matt Hancock for 'egregious' attempt to evade blame for Covid deaths
The former cabinet minister, who lost his job for breaking his own rules when he was caught on CCTV kissing Ms Coladangelo, has been savaged in public over his time overseeing the health department's response to Covid.
Mr Hancock's impending departure triggered a debate about whether he had jumped or been pushed.
The West Suffolk Conservative Association president had urged the Tories to prevent him standing for the party in the next election, saying he was "not fit to represent them".
An ally of Mr Hancock’s insisted the letter was "irrelevant" and that Mr Hancock had been told he would get the whip back.
"Matt had already decided not to stand again when it came to light," the ally said.
