Matt Hancock to stand down as an MP after discovering a 'whole new world of possibilities' - top reactions

If any MP was going to quote from Disney when announcing their plans to stand down, it was going to be Matt Hancock.

Channelling his inner Aladdin, the politician-turned-personality announced on Wednesday that he would no longer stand for the Conservative Party in the next general election after discovering a "whole new world of possibilities which [he] is excited to explore."

The I'm a Celebrity bronze medalist, who has clearly got a taste for the glitz and drama of reality TV, made his big announcement a day before the release of his Covid memoir Pandemic Diaries. A coincidence? We think not.

To prove that he's really in touch with the youngsters, he also shared the news on TikTok.

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Sorry, Matt, but you've got a few things to work on if you want to be the next Charli D'Amelio...

Elsewhere on social media, Twitter greeted his grand update with widespread calls of "good riddance".

Here, we take a look at some of the top reactions to his planned departure from Parliament:

The West Suffolk MP has barely had time to shake off the jetlag and get back to work having only returned to Westminster from the I'm a Celeb jungle last week.

He was stripped of the party whip after it emerged that he would be joining the ITV show, setting the wheels of speculation in motion about his political future.

In his resignation letter to Rishi Sunak, which reads like a catalogue of self-congratulation, he wrote that he was "very proud" of what he and his team had achieved during his time in Government, but that he now wanted to "do things differently".

In a clear nod to his new showbiz credentials, he wrote: “There was a time when I thought the only way to influence the public debate was in Parliament, but I’ve realised there’s far more to it than that."

He went on: “I have increasingly come to believe that for a healthy democracy we must find new ways to reach people – especially those who are disengaged with politics."

And in case you hadn't got the point that he's done with politics and wants more time in the terrestrial channel spotlight, he continued: “I have discovered a whole new world of possibilities which I am excited to explore – new ways for me to communicate with people of all ages and from all backgrounds."

In his closing remarks, he added: “I look forward to championing the issues that are dear to my heart, including better support for dyslexic children who get a raw deal from the education system.”

Didn't you tell us that was your aim with I'm a Celebrity? And how did that work out for the kids, huh, Matt?

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