Marathon charity donors tell Matt: Break an ankle and we’ll pay more

MATT HANCOCK’s bid to rebuild his reputation by running the London Marathon has hit the buffers after pranksters flooded his charity page with mocking taunts.

The former Health Secretary is running in next month’s event to raise funds for St Nicholas Hospice Care in his West Suffolk constituency – a decision that critics say is a crude bid at rehabilitating his reputation.

But the move already appears to have backfired, with his JustGiving page flooded by people donating the minimum sum and using the opportunity to write an accompanying message condemning his philandering and record in office.

By last night, 459 ‘supporters’ had pledged £3,653, but the majority of messages were critical.

Matt Reilly wrote: ‘If you break an ankle, I’ll donate another £100.’ The mockery included comments from people calling themselves Martha Hancock, Del Boy, the Prime Minister and even his mother, while others joked that the tarnished former Tory high-flyer ‘couldn’t run a bath’.

Dauda Bappa wrote: ‘Happy to donate to this hospice, but you are a truly terrible human being, Matt. I guess hate can be used for good. Break a leg xx.’

Another said: ‘You, sir, are the worst kind of overprivileged slug pretending to be a human.’

The torrent of abusive messages over several days was so great that the website was forced to switch off the messaging facility.

A message posted by Mr Hancock tells donors that it is the first time he has attempted the London Marathon, adding: ‘I’m really excited to take part. I have already started my training and hope to keep you all updated with my progress.’