Suffolk constituents call for Matt Hancock to resign over Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins appearance

• Constituents in Matt Hancock's West Suffolk seat have had their say on his Celebrity SAS appearance

Voters in Matt Hancock's Suffolk constituency have called on him to resign after he made his debut on another reality television programme.

The West Suffolk MP and former health secretary appeared on Channel 4's Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, despite still being a sitting member of parliament.

The programme sees contestants attempting to pass the SAS selection test.

Mr Hancock filmed the series before his controversial stint on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in November 2022, and was paid £45,000 to take part.

He has already announced he will not stand for parliament in the next general election, but his constituents told ITV News Anglia that they would prefer he went sooner.

One man said: "The easiest thing he could do to improve my perception of him is resign. 

"He's an MP who goes cavorting around the place saying he is raising money for charity but I'm sorry, he's just sat in the jungle eating whatever they're eating and he shouldn't be there. 

"He should be here, serving his constituents." 

Another woman in Newmarket told ITV News Anglia: "His job is Member of Parliament.  He's getting paid for that, so do your job. It's ever so simple: you have a job, you do it. 

"The people in his constituency have questions and he is never here to answer them.  He's not doing the job. So no, he shouldn't be sitting." 

Another man said: "Where is he? He's not here is he? If he's going on all these shows he's not exactly representing us. 

"He's not really representing anything to be honest but that's Matt Hancock all over, that.  He should have stood down a long time ago. I've voted Conservative all my life and then you look at people like him and you just think: why?" 

But one man was more sympathetic. He said: "I suppose going on the show could potentially help with the public perception of him. It's showing that he's got guts and that he'll try things and that's always good. 

"It's questionable if it's enough to change people's opinion of him fully but at least he's trying. I haven't lived here that long but if he wants to do it, let him." 

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