After the former Conservative health secretary was pelted with mud and insects on his first night in the Australian jungle, a former cabinet colleague said even his technophobic peers back home in Britain were downloading an app used to vote contestants in gruesome ‘trials bushtucker’. Immediately after Hancock joined the show on Wednesday, the audience voted for the MP to face another gruesome challenge the following day – dubbed the “terror tentacle”. Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Ireland secretary, said “a lot of people” in the Commons and Lords had started downloading the app, adding with a smile: “I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.” Although he stressed he had not watched the show, Heaton-Harris said he was familiar with the format, adding: “It looks bleak.” There are “a lot of peers I know, who have never been exposed to technology, who download a certain app now so they can vote on something,” he told LBC radio. MPs do the same, Heaton-Harris also told Sky News – although he stressed he had not yet downloaded the app himself. As he listened to clips of Hancock singing to his mates, Heaton-Harris joked: “He deserves a vote.” The former chief whip made no secret of his disdain for Hancock flying out to Australia and skipping Commons sitting days, saying he “should be here with us, voting and debating in parliament”. Despite Hancock’s insistence that he had joined the jungle to show a more human side to politicians, Heaton-Harris insisted: “Matt should be representing his constituents. You can prove you’re human by being a good constituency MP.” Hancock suspended the Tory whip when it was revealed he was to join I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! lining up. 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. While his arrival at the camp upset some colleagues who suggested he return home for work, Hancock said everyone seemed “very nice” – although he added it was “on the list of concerns” that he might be given a bad reception. “There are so few ways politicians can show we’re human, so I thought it would be good to do it – and I’ve got a sense of adventure,” he confided to journalist and fellow camp member Charlene White. . He said “of course I understand that” when it was suggested there might be criticism of his decision, but given that “we now have, sort of, stability” with Rishi Sunak, he felt confident going into the jungle.
