Matt Hancock is free to continue claiming rent and council tax from taxpayers while on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here (Picture: ITV/Getty/Metro.co.uk)

Matt Hancock is free to claim rent and council tax courtesy of British taxpayers while he is on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here.  

The MP claimed £2,200 in monthly payments for rent up to January this year, the most recent date for which official figures are available.

He also had monthly council tax instalments of £304 for constituency accommodation covered on his behalf under a scheme which is aimed at using the public purse to help MPs carry out their parliamentary duties. 

The West Suffolk MP’s ‘business costs’ for last year further show how he is media-conscious with charges for a camera, a teleprompter app for reading scripts and graphic design and social media software.

Other costs include having his AGA cleaned and serviced, which came to £120. Outside the home, his bills include £15 for a bike ride, which is classed as mileage for ‘MP travel’, according to the published records.

In total, the former health secretary claimed £29,212 for accommodation and £12,060 in office costs between 2021 and 2022. 

These are on top of his annual £84,144 salary as an MP. If Mr Hancock stays in Australia for the full three weeks, he would be paid just under £5,000 before tax. He would still be eligible to claim for rent and council tax.

The costs are paid out through the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) under an official scheme intended to support MPs who have to travel to Westminster from constituencies outside London.  

A spokesperson for IPSA said: ‘We would still pay certain costs while an MP is away. Claims for this autumn can be made up to 90 days after the cost is incurred and will be published in the new year.’ 

Matt Hancock has said that he is taking party in I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here to promote awareness of dyslexia (Picture: REX/Getty/Metro.co.uk)

IPSA describes the payments as ‘business costs’, rather than expenses and its rules state: ‘MPs may only claim for expenditure for parliamentary purposes’. However the spokesperson confirmed that rent and council tax could be covered for an MP who is ‘away’.

It’s understood that Mr Hancock no longer claims for his rented Suffolk home, where he is hosting a Ukrainian family at his own expense, and stopped using it as his IPSA-registered address on September 17 this year. He now claims for a rented flat in London and views his time in Australia, where he has been available for Zoom calls, as an ‘amazing opportunity’ to promote dyslexia awareness to millions of people.

Nevertheless, political commentator Darren Lilleker told Metro.co.uk that the MP, who is in Australia ahead of the ITV show’s first episode on Sunday, was guilty of ‘double standards’ in public life. 

‘Hancock seems the latest in a small amount of MPs seeking to win, or win back, public support by joining a reality TV show,’ he said.

‘Given that he seems to be seen as the person responsible for many of the failings in the government’s response to Covid-19 and has received largely negative coverage for every public appearance since his resignation, it is difficult to see how this will revitalise his image unless he is able to tell his story in a way that is convincing to the audience.

‘Largely though I am not sure the audience is interested in politics and prefer these programmes to just have “celebrities”.’ 

Matt Hancock will swap British politics at Westminster and in his constituency for the I’m A Celebrity camp (Picture: James Gourley/ITV/Shutterstock)

Mr Hancock has justified his appearance by saying ‘it’s a great opportunity to talk directly to people who aren’t always interested in politics’.

He also told The Sun that he hasn’t ‘lost his marbles’ and wants to use his ‘freedom and time’ as a backbench MP to raise awareness of dyslexia.  

But critics say he will miss out on time when parliament is sitting, including for the chancellor’s Autumn Statement on November 17, and taxpayers will continue to fund his bills and salary for activities which should be pegged to his official duties. The campmate has had the Tory whip withdrawn, which effectively means he has been expelled from the party.  

‘The wider public is likely to be very annoyed about the double standards which operate in parliament,’ Mr Lilleker said.

‘I am unaware of any profession where you could take weeks off and get full pay independent of whether you do your actual job or not.

‘Many people will be aggrieved by that, particularly at a time when many are struggling financially. The double standards, use of expenses, the wages for life for prime ministers, all indicate to people that those who make decisions which affect everyone’s life do not play by the same rules.

‘They have access to financial inducements in office, and on leaving office, which few others can enjoy. It reinforces the notion of them and us in society, where our representatives are seen as failing to effectively represent the people because they operate under different rules with minimal scrutiny or accountability. Sadly, I feel this will have a negative impact on Hancock’s image, but also on the image of parliamentarians as a whole.’ 

Matt Hancock is part of an erosion of standards in public life according to a political commentator (Picture: Ben Stansall/Pool via AP)

Mr Lilleker added: ‘At a minimum, Hancock should take leave, as the rest of the working world has to do, as he cannot be an MP and effectively represent the people of his constituency while he is in Australia.’

Lloyd Hardy, of the Gov2UK citizens’ group, wants the government’s fate to be decided by votes at the ballot box rather than for bushtucker trials.  

Mr Hardy said: ‘Matt Hancock flying to Australia to work on his TV image isn’t going to get him closer to constituents who are among 200,000 families who lost loved ones during the pandemic – while he broke the rules.

‘The Conservatives are trying to manipulate the public into seeing them as “one of us” when they have no mandate – 54% of voters now say they think Brexit was the wrong thing to do. We want the Tories out of Westminster by voting in a General Election, not on a reality show.’

Mr Hancock, 44, will be in the jungle for up to three weeks, depending on when he is voted off the show, and is rumoured to be pocketing a £350,000 appearance fee.

A spokesperson for the MP 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 millions of Brits who tune in every single night. Matt told the whips in Parliament and he will use his time in the jungle to promote his dyslexia campaign.

‘Matt is still working on constituency matters and will continue to do so up until he goes into the jungle. Producers have agreed that Matt can communicate with his team throughout the show if there’s an urgent constituency matter.

‘Matt has always believed in communicating directly with the people he represents – whether that’s getting out and pounding the streets in West Suffolk, through all sorts of media or via those press conferences.

‘There are many ways to do the job of being an MP. Whether he’s in camp for one day or three weeks, there are very few places people will be able to see a politician as they really are.

‘Where better to show the human side of those who make these decisions than with the most watched programme on TV?’ Politicians like Matt must go to where the people are – particularly those who are politically disengaged. Matt’s of the view that we must embrace popular culture. Rather than looking down on reality TV, we should see it for what it is – a powerful tool to get our message heard by younger generations.’

Mr Hancock has pledged to make a donation to St Nicholas Hospice in Suffolk, and to causes supporting dyslexia, ‘off the back of my appearance’.

He also said in The Sun that he will declare the amount he receives for his time on the reality show to parliament in the usual way.

The spokesperson added:’ Matt doesn’t expect to serve in government again, but he can support Rishi [Sunak] and the government in different ways. This is an amazing opportunity to engage with the public and talk about issues he really cares about – including his dyslexia campaign.’

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The MP still qualifies to have bills met by taxpayers while he is in Australia for the reality show.