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Matt Hancock has insisted he ‘hasn’t lost his marbles’ as he heads to Australia to join I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! amid widespread criticism. The West Suffolk MP claimed his “first priority” is to his constituents as he flew more than 10,000 miles to take part in the ITV show, which starts on Sunday. The former health secretary, who has been banned from the party, defended his decision in an article in the Sun, claiming he was taking part in the show so he could “go where the people are – not to sit in ivory towers at Westminster”. . . Meanwhile, Conservative backbencher Tim Loughton branded him an “absolute lunatic” as Mr Hancock faces questions about whether he broke rules on seeking leave for jobs undertaken within two years of leaving office . Earlier, opposition MPs took a dig at the Prime Minister with SNP MP Pete Wishart saying: “It speaks volumes that Matt Hancock would rather be holed up in a remote jungle eating kangaroo testicles than spend a little more time on the Tory benches at Westminster, like Rishi. Sunak’s government lurches from one crisis to another.” Show latest update 1667362081

Hancock insists he “hasn’t lost his marbles” as he flies to Australia

Matt Hancock has insisted he ‘hasn’t lost his marbles’ as he heads to Australia to join I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! despite widespread criticism. The former health secretary, who has been banned from the parliamentary Conservative Party, claims he wants to “go where the people are – not sit in ivory towers at Westminster”. Mr Hancock defended his decision in an article for The Sun, claiming it was “a great opportunity to speak directly to people who are not always interested in politics”. Read more in this report: Namita Singh November 2, 2022 4:08 am 1667361062

Welcome to The Independent’s UK political blog for Wednesday 2 November 2022, where we provide the latest information on everything abuzz at Westminster. Namita Singh November 2, 2022 3:51 am