The new series of I’m a Celebrity airs on Sunday and the producers have done a decent job of making sure all of Westminster will be watching. Some contestants bring laughter to the jungle; others have star power. Matt Hancock though will be bringing his humility, judgement and expertise in national humiliation when he appears on the ITV show for a reported £400,000. Nice work if you can get it!
Sadly for the womaniser of West Suffolk, while his experience might bring him riches, it’s unlikely to provide redemption. For a new poll for The Spectator shows that the British public strongly disapprove of both Hancock’s decision to partake in the contest and are eagerly anticipating a forthcoming defeat. Voters are hoping by an impressive margin of three to one that Hancock does not win the reality show. A whopping 61 per cent say they hope he loses, with more undecided – 20 per cent – than just the 19 per cent of voters who want him to win: less than one in five.
And such contempt crosses party lines. Of the 1,500 adults polled by Redfield and Wilton, less than a quarter of voters who backed the Tories in 2019 – 23 per cent – want him to win; among Labour voters, that drops to a mere 10 per cent. This cross-party unanimity extends to the Conservative party’s decision to suspend Hancock from the parliamentary party as a consequence of his decision to partake in I’m a Celebrity. Some 58 per cent agree or ‘strongly’ agree with the suspension; just 15 per cent disagree. Tory voters are even more likely to back the Chief Whip’s decision – by 61 per centage to 16 per cent – than Labour ones – 59 per cent to 15 per cent.
Still, at least it’s all good publicity for ITV. More than two thirds of voters are keenly aware of Hancock’s involvement, with 68 per cent of those polled saying they have heard a ‘significant’ or ‘fair’ amount about it. A further 20 per cent know a ‘slight’ amount about it with just 12 per cent reporting they have not heard about the new contestant ‘at all.’ Polling of 1,500 adults was conducted for The Spectator by Redfield and Wilton between Tuesday 2 and Wednesday 3 November.
Good luck in those public votes Matt – sounds like you might need it…
Comments