Matt Hancock is “better at bushtucker trials, than clinical trials”, Greater Manchester’s mayor has said.
Andy Burnham said he did not think Hancock was a “bad person” but that his decision to appear on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! demonstrated “bad judgement”.
Speaking on BBC’s Question Time about Hancock’s time in the jungle, Burnham said: “He’s clearly better at showbiz than he is at politics…better at Bushtucker trials than clinical trials, for sure.”
He continued: “He’s not, in my view, a bad person, but it is a bad judgement because politicians should be about we – what’s good for us.
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“But this is all about me, isn’t it, me, me and my situation and a cost-of-living crisis for his constituents.
“(There) are things that he should be here answering for, not in the jungle trying to curry favour with other celebrities and the British public.”
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Hancock held the post of health secretary during the majority of the coronavirus crisis, during which time the vaccine was developed and tested.
On Thursday the West Suffolk MP avoided elimination for the sixth time, after radio DJ Chris Moyles was voted off the show.
Moyles, 48, told hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly he was “gutted” that Hancock was more popular than him after making his exit from the show.
After his exit, he told McPartlin and Donnelly: “I’m gutted that Matt Hancock is more popular than me, what the bejesus is going on?”
Moyles admitted it was difficult for him living alongside the former health secretary in camp, saying: “I really struggled with it, to be fair.
“And then what I did was, because I slagged him a bit, I separated Matt Hancock with Matt because we were living with this guy, and he was doing his best to win us stars for food and everything and chipping in so I had to separate the two.
“Matt Hancock I’ve got major issues with but Matt – less issues.”
