Mark’s words on LinkedIn – Matt Hancock entering ‘I’m a Celebrity…’ 2022
If Boris Johnson leaves a legacy on British politics, it will be his decimation of the notion that senior public servants must be serious people.
Matt Hancock going on ‘I’m a Celebrity…’ is the perfect case study, but it’s unclear whether his motivation for entering the jungle is more about personal fame or a circuitous route back into frontline politics.
The MP first came to wider public consciousness when his ‘Matt Hancock’ App was relentlessly memed for being a feeble parody of The Thick of It, but it was also the technological embodiment of his ego, and desire for individual notoriety as well as career progression.
Ten years ago, the idea that a politician might progress their career by going on I’m a Celebrity would be ludicrous. But in the decade since we’ve seen Nadine Dorries rise from eating Ostrich anus to riding UKIP’s coat tails, to a heady peak of Minister of State. That said, this was during an era -albeit recent- that most Tories look back upon with open embarrassment.
It might therefore seem farfetched for Hancock to be seeking political advancement in the Jungle, but this is a former Health Secretary who was so bad at his job that his resignation for being caught on CCTV having an affair was viewed by some as a welcome distraction from his record in office.
The Tories – scrambling desperately to reclaim any shred of dignity- acted quickly to withdraw the whip. And perhaps, even knowing this was the likely consequence of his fame hunting, Hancock has examined his current professional circumstances and decided that the only way is up – even if that means crawling through a certain amount of spiders, rats and kangaroo genitalia to get there.
It’s certainly a risky strategy. Since the implosion of the Boris regime and the Lettuce Liz fiasco, the once-dominant ‘buffoon’ model of political leadership is under threat. Accused of being boring, Kier Starmer effectively claimed that, compared to the hedonistic levels of irresponsibility and chaos normalised by the Boris regime, dullness is now a virtue. Recent polls, and the ascendency of another wonkish geek in Rishi Sunak to Number 10, suggests the public agree.
Of course, Matt Hancock entering the jungle could merely be naked self-promotion. But given his distinct lack of personality, the cognitive dissonance required for Hancock to believe that he has the minimal charm or charisma required to be a jobbing celeb may in fact represent more extreme levels of delusion and egomania than continuing to harbour dreams of Number 10.
In fact, given Hancock’s meme-ability and apparently shameless desperation for the limelight, the one winner from his decision to enter the jungle might be ITV; another celeb-addled sacrifice willingly entering the jaws of the reality television beast.