London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

Politicians play a dangerous game by going on reality TV (and eating kangaroo penis)

Politicians play a dangerous game by going on reality TV (and eating kangaroo penis)

The UK’s Matt Hancock is the latest lawmaker to choose television over policy.
Just before publication, the AUKW (that’s the Australian Union of Kangaroos and Wallabies) released the following statement: “Our members will in no way countenance having one of their assholes and/or penises eaten by Matt Hancock. The very idea is unthinkable and distateful.”

Yes, former U.K. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has signed up for popular reality TV show “I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here!” and in doing so, caused quite a storm back home — he’s been suspended by the Conservative Party and lost the whip, meaning he’ll have to sit as an independent MP.

For the blissfully uninitiated, “I’m A Celebrity …” is a very popular show whose stock-in-trade is humiliation via tasks such as eating bugs and crocodile cock, and it makes people fear nature. Well done.

It is unclear how much Hancock is getting paid but he assures us he isn’t going on TV to make money, writing in the Sun newspaper: “While there will undoubtedly be those who think I shouldn’t go, I think it’s a great opportunity to talk directly to people who aren’t always interested in politics, even if they care very much about how our country’s run.”

The answers there are: a) all people think you shouldn’t go!, and b) no one watches this show to find out about Tory policy, they watch it because low-level celebrities are forced to crawl through maggots.

Hancock, who was health secretary when the coronavirus pandemic struck and who lost his job in June 2021 after conducting an extramarital affair in contravention of lockdown rules, is of course doing this to look cool — which it won’t — and to give himself a shot at a career in television after his days in politics end — which might work.

And he’s not the first politician to go on reality TV, with his Tory colleague Nadine Dorries having done so in 2012 and many others having followed the same jungle path, including Boris Johnson’s dad Stanley (and, as our London Playbook colleagues have already pointed out, Boris himself could — and let’s be honest, will — appear on the show, maybe even this year).

This kind of thing happens in other countries too, of course. The good people of the U.S. even elected a reality TV star as president — which worked out brilliantly.

The French also have a taste for reality TV shows featuring politicians. There’s “An Intimate Ambition,” which follows politicians going about their daily lives, with long heart-to-heart interviews — but, alas, a distinct lack of the lawmakers having to eat marsupial butt. If Eric Zemmour has any hopes of a politicial comeback, he knows what to do!
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
×