Kate Plummer
Nov 11, 2022
Indy
A Question Time audience member perfectly explained why all the talk about Matt Hancock being on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here is just noise compared to other issues.
Hancock's appearance on the ITV reality show has caused controversy because parliament is sitting while he faffs around in the jungle. He has said he is on the show to raise awareness about dyslexia but he hasn't mentioned it once thus far.
Despite the outrage, one audience member had enough and said it was time to focus on other issues.
She said: “I’m really bored of hearing about the kind of low level stuff that MPs are doing, like Matt Hancock being in the jungle – I just don’t care. What I’m more concerned about is the fact that we have a home secretary who last week referred to refugees, people fleeing war and conflict, as an ‘invasion’.
“I think it’s really important to say that they are not illegal. Nobody is illegal. When they land on our shores, they claim asylum.”
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She added: “We spend so much time talking about these people that, quite frankly, shouldn’t be in their jobs, and it’s a joke that they are, and we waste time talking about them rather than actually talking about the things that people in this government are doing that is harmful. Stirring up ... whipping up hatred.
“And that is what I’m really cross about. I don’t care if Matt Hancock wants to do something, I couldn’t care less. It’s taking up pointless air time. I’m repeating myself. What I really care about is the plight of refugees."
Clips of her intervention went viral on social media and she was widely praised:
\u201cThis can\u2019t be retweeted enough.\n#CorruptToriesOut\u201d— Darth Doodle \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6Euro Dog \ud83d\udc99 (@Darth Doodle \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6Euro Dog \ud83d\udc99) 1668152782
\u201c@supertanskiii Very encouraging to hear so many people applauding her too\u201d— Supertanskiii (@Supertanskiii) 1668123662
\u201cThis woman was a hero, I hope she is proud of the way she took a stand for refugees and asylum seekers. It gave me hope, she represents the kind of Britain I want to live in. No human is illegal.\n\n#bbcqt\u201d— Supertanskiii (@Supertanskiii) 1668123662
Meanwhile, Green Party MP Caroline Lucas said: “He’s now being held to account by Ant and Dec instead of being held to account by the Covid enquiry which is where he should be answering questions about the total mishandling of the Covid crisis.”
Labour leader Keir Starmer said on Thursday that Hancock should “voluntarily leave” the I’m A Celebrity jungle and return to parliament.
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