'Ridiculous' - Newmarket trainers blast Matt Hancock for I'm A Celebrity jaunt

Newmarket MP Matt Hancock's well-publicised decision to head to Australia to join the cast of this year’s I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! has been greeted with widespread derision by local trainers.

Newmarket Trainers Federation chairman William Jarvis spoke of his "disappointment", a sentiment that was echoed by several of his colleagues on the gallops on Wednesday morning as they reacted to news of Hancock's plans to join the show, which is hosted by Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly and starts on ITV on Sunday.

The 44-year-old former health secretary, who has been MP for West Suffolk since 2010, was suspended as a Conservative MP on Tuesday.

Jarvis said: "I'm very disappointed. It's not what we expect of our local MP. Up until now he'd done a reasonable job for our industry but he's obviously thinking of himself rather than his constituents. I presume we'll be looking for a new member of parliament when the time comes."

Hancock has taken up the fight on a number of racing-related issues in Newmarket during his time as the local MP, including the long-running opposition to Hatchfield Farm and more recently the Sunnica Solar Farm against which he fronted a march in the spring.

But the town's trainers are not impressed with his latest career move, with Derby-winning handler Michael Bell saying: "To say he can cover important local and national issues from the jungle is ridiculous.

"There is an argument for engaging with a different audience but there is a time and a place for doing so. Potentially making an idiot of yourself in the jungle is maybe not his wisest career move.”

Matt Hancock at the head of a protest march against the Sunnica solar farm

Chris Wall, chairman of the Newmarket Heath Committee, said: "I think Hancock has made a serious lack of judgement, which is disappointing in a man who has held an office of state and has done quite a good job as our constituency MP.

"I think it's also very disappointing he doesn't take his job seriously enough. The traffic is a real concern at the moment. Coming back from Warren Hill this morning the traffic was stationary and it took me 20 minutes to cover a mile. I think he could be using his time a lot more constructively."

Wall's colleague John Ryan said: "He should be here sorting out a lot of things out, including the traffic. They don’t look at the bigger picture and it's not the first time he's been in trouble. We're in a financial crisis brought on by the former prime minister making some bad decisions at a tricky time of the year financially for all of us. Basically, he's run away."

Rachel Hood, chair of West Suffolk Conservative Association, said: "The West Suffolk Conservative Association is disappointed by our MP Matt Hancock's decision to become a contestant on the I'm A Celebrity TV programme.

"We believe this is a serious error of judgement when he is a paid, elected member of parliament and we refer you to the statement of the chief whip suspending him from the Conservative Party with immediate effect. We echo the words of the prime minister that MPs should be working hard for their constituents, particularly when we have a cost of living crisis and people are facing hardship.”

In his defence, an unnamed political ally of Hancock said: "I'm A Celeb is the most watched show on TV. Matt doesn’t expect to serve in government again, so it's an incredible opportunity for him to engage with the 12 million Brits who tune in every single night.

"Matt has told the whips in parliament and he will use his time in the jungle to promote his dyslexia campaign and will be making a donation to St Nicholas Hospice in Suffolk."

Hancock has been quoted by William Hill as 20-1 outsider of the celebrities named to take part in the show, which features the infamous Bushtucker Trials.

Originally from Cheshire, Hancock took over in the constituency from Richard Spring 12 years ago when he polled more than 45 per cent of the vote, a figure that rose to 65.8 per cent in 2019.

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