I'm a Celebrity: Matt Hancock's constituents on first jungle appearance

Matt Hancock made his first appearance on I'm a Celebrity on Wednesday

Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock's decision to take part in I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! has been a controversial one and has led to him being suspended as a Conservative MP. After watching his first foray into the Australian jungle, which included him battling bugs and spiders in an underground challenge, some of his West Suffolk constituents in Haverhill have shared whether it has changed their opinion of him.

'Need to have someone on the ground'

For Gordon Savory, the MP's first jungle appearance did nothing to change his mind

Gordon Savory, 77, says he is not impressed by Mr Hancock's explanation for taking part in the reality show, saying he wants to reach young people.

"He represents the overall, everybody, not one particular section," he says.

"To be honest, he's getting paid for a job. If I went on holiday or something else not allocated within that, I'd not get the money.

"He's my MP and it's all right to want to smile and be popular, but I like results and work.

"I know that it's difficult to answer everybody, but we need to have someone on the ground."

Mr Savory says the timing of Mr Hancock's show appearance was "wrong" and adds the MP should stand down.

'Getting paid to do a job'

Adrian Robinson says Mr Hancock should not have entered the jungle while Parliament was still sitting

Adrian Robinson, 36, says he is not a Conservative voter, so Mr Hancock's appearance will not change his vote.

However, he says even if he does not like the politics of his MP, he would rather he was in the constituency than thousands of miles away.

"Personally I don't approve of him going into the jungle, because Parliament is actually sitting and he's getting paid to do a job there.

"I feel like he could do that [reach voters] in different ways, like being out with constituents.

"I've met him in the past when he was doing a walk about in the park. Those sort of methods of communication will be just as effective, rather than showing himself to the whole of the UK with I'm a Celebrity."

'Jury is still out'

Marion Goddard, 51, is a Conservative voter and says she can appreciate what Mr Hancock is trying to do, but thinks it is probably the wrong decision.

"I think, to be honest, at the moment I appreciate he's trying to show his personality to everybody. But I think if something major was to happen here, would they pull him out to come and help us?

"I think it's nice to see that human side of him, jovial and enjoy doing those tasks. I'm sure he'll get voted for a lot more."

She says that after "what we've all been through as a nation, he should stay here".

As for whether she will vote for him at the next general election, "the jury is still out", she says.

• 'He should be here, not attention-seeking on TV'

• Matt Hancock faces awkward questions in TV jungle

• Why is Matt Hancock a controversial figure?

Who is Matt Hancock?

• The father-of-three was elected MP for West Suffolk in 2010

• He was appointed Health Secretary in 2018, before overseeing the nation's response to the Covid pandemic with lockdowns, social distancing and measures to protect the NHS and social care from March 2020

• However, he was caught breaking his own rules and resigned in June 2021 when an affair with an aide was exposed

• He has had the "whip suspended" - a disciplinary move in parliament - which means he has been kicked out of the Conservative Party but remains an MP

• It means Hancock will still receive his £84,144 salary while in Australia

'He did magnificently'

Conservative councillor Margaret Marks says she believes Mr Hancock is in the jungle for the right reasons

Margaret Marks, the Conservative councillor for Haverhill on West Suffolk Council, says she is a fan of the MP, and thinks he has done well in the jungle so far.

"I have to say, I was slightly worried about how Matt was going to cope. I know him quite well, but I just thought he did magnificently. He was so brave, he just went headlong," she said.

"We're all actors in these roles, but I honestly think that was him.

"When you're in the political arena, people have an expectation of how you should behave and base their opinion of you on that expectation. That's not who we are, and I think it's very important we're allowed to be who we are."

Asked if she think Mr Hancock made the decision based on a fee reported to be in the hundreds of thousands of pounds, Ms Marks says she thinks he does not need the money.

"He comes from a really good family, he doesn't need that. He's an economist - he could go and work anywhere for a great deal more money. You can earn a lot of money for the knowledge Matt has.

"He had a right to make a choice. It's three weeks and he's been an MP since 2010," she says.

Matt Hancock's team has stressed that he plans to use his time in the jungle to raise awareness for his dyslexia campaign.

While he said he was "looking forward to throwing myself into [the show] like I do everything in life", he said he would maintain contact with his team in the UK.

He said he had been given access to a laptop during his isolation, allowing him to continue working and to stay in touch with constituents.

By appearing on the ITV show, he was suspended as a Tory MP and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was "disappointed" in his decision to participate.