More than 6 in 10 Britons think Matt Hancock wrong to appear on ‘I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here”

With the return of the widely popular “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!” this Sunday, a new poll by Ipsos reveals that more than 6 in 10 (64%) think Matt Hancock has made the wrong decision to appear on the show.

Older age groups, aged 55-75, strongly oppose his appearance, with more than 8 in 10 (83%) thinking the former Health Secretary has made the wrong decision and only 6% thinking this was the right decision. 18-34-year-olds are more sympathetic (29% think this was the right decision). However, even for this age group, many more are still opposed (64%).

When asked whether Matt Hancock, or any MP, should have to resign as an MP to appear on the show, six in ten think that both the former Health Secretary (59%), or any other member of Parliament (60%) should have to step down from their position.

Younger age groups are again slightly more sympathetic towards Mr Hancock, with half of 18-34s (51%) saying he should resign compared to two thirds (66%) of 55-75-year-olds, however the public are in agreement that Matt Hancock should have to resign as an MP to appear on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here.

Commenting on the results, Ipsos Director of Politics Keiran Pedley said:

These findings show there is little public sympathy for Matt Hancock appearing on I’m a Celebrity. Even when the argument is put that the show lasts a matter of weeks, that it is not uncommon for MPs to do paid work outside their parliamentary duties and it could be a good way to engage with the public, 6 in 10 still think an MP should resign to take part. This is regardless of whether that MP is Matt Hancock or someone else.

Technical note

Ipsos interviewed a representative quota sample of 1,085 adults aged 18-75 in Great Britain. Interviews took place on the Ipsos online Omnibus 2nd-3rd November 2022. Data has been weighted to the known offline population proportions. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.