Of all the politicians to be the first to wire in and blast into the Metaverse, it turns out that the House of Commons’s brave pioneer has become none other than Matthew Hancock. The MP joined the online world today as part of an event organised by the tech firm Shift.
Mr S couldn’t help but notice though that the Cybernaut Hancock that emerged from the Metaverse wormhole a different man than many of his colleagues remember. His avatar, created by the tech firm for him to roam this new universe (pictured above) seems to sport a resurgent hairline and a rather strapping build.
What on earth has brought all this about? A few months ago, Hancock delivered a virtual message where he announced his hopes for the future of the technology – saying that he wanted discourse in the Metaverse to be run on a ‘democratic basis’ that can’t be taken over by powerful organisations or individuals to run however they see fit.
But Mr S can’t help but wonder if there is another factor at play: maybe political reality is proving all too much for Hancock – after last year losing his cabinet role – so he has sought refuge in the virtual one. He may want to stay there if as the bookies’ predict Truss wins the leadership next month. As a Sunak backer, Hancock is unlikely to be front of the queue.
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