Writing in the Sun to defend his decision, which resulted in him losing the Conservative whip on Tuesday, the former health secretary said that “while some may think I’ve lost my marbles”, he believed politicians “must to wake up and embrace popular Culture”. He wrote: “Although there will no doubt be those who think I should not go, I think it is a great opportunity to speak directly to people who are not always interested in politics, even if they are very interested in the running of our country. It is our job as politicians to go where the people are – not to sit in ivory towers in Westminster.” Hancock said he had thought “long and hard” about the decision and had already turned producers down twice over the summer, but had “changed his mind” when approached a third time last week. He said his confidence that the new prime minister, Rishi Sunak, is leading a stable government further convinced him that the time was right for the reality TV show. On Tuesday night, the Mirror reported that Hancock had landed in Brisbane to begin filming the show, which will air its first episode on November 6. Hancock’s trip to Australia has been described as a “serious” breach by the leader and will mean he cannot vote in parliament while still being able to claim his £84,144 salary. In his Sun article, he said he did not expect to serve in government again, but that he could “support Rishi and the government in different ways”. He added that he had spoken to the whips “in the same way any MP would on a foreign visit, which happens all the time”. He said he had agreed with the producers that he could continue talking to his constituents from the jungle. Hancock said he planned to use his appearance on the reality show to promote the dyslexia campaign, which has been his focus as an MP since he resigned as health secretary after breaking Covid rules by having an affair with an aide , whom she said “blew up every part of my life.” He wants the public to understand the need for early recognition and better support for dyslexia, as a result of his own struggle to get a diagnosis, and hopes to increase public support for the dyslexia screening and teacher training bill, which will receive its second reading in parliament just days after I’m a Celebrity… ends. She said: “I want to use this incredible platform to raise awareness so that no child leaves primary school without knowing if they have dyslexia.” He said he would use the proceeds from his appearance to make a donation to St Nicholas Hospice in Suffolk and causes supportive dyslexia and confirmed he would declare the amount he received to parliament. Condemning MPs’ “patronising” attitudes towards popular culture, he wrote: “While some will say reality TV should be under a politician, I think we should go where the people gather.” Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Mark Harper, the transport secretary and former chief whip, suggested Hancock was doing his constituents a disservice by going on Im a Celebrity… while parliament was in session. “As a former chief whip, I’m very supportive of the decision the chief whip made,” he told Sky News. “It is the MP’s first responsibility when parliament meets to serve his constituents. “The chief whip has made his position clear, which is that he has made a decision that continuing to be a celebrity is not compatible with doing your job properly as a member of parliament, so the whip has been removed and as a former chief whip, I fully support these decisions taken by my successor.”