Shove off, Hancock

BACK in the real world, Matt Hancock remains a despised Conservative former Health Secretary with the deaths of tens of thousands of Covid victims an indelible stain on his repuation.

TV viewers had their fun while he moonlighted from Parliament in the jungle, enjoying the pandemic rule breaker’s Bushtucker Trials and larking about for their entertainment.

But reality television isn’t everyday reality. And multiple voting, where viewers were able to vote for Hancock time after time, isn’t the democracy of a general election.

If Rishi Sunak’s devalued promise on the steps of Downing Street to govern with “integrity and accountability” is to be more than hot air, Hancock must be banished.

Not given the Conservative whip back or allowed to announce that he won’t stand again but denounced, disowned and dropped. Permanent.

Hancock’s a notorious celebrity of sorts but let’s get him out of Parliament.

Bereaved families won’t be laughing when a charlatan who pocketed a £400,000 cheque is called to give evidence to the Covid inquiry into why so many thousands of people died unnecessarily and were killed by coronavirus.