“Quite a lot” of MPs and peers have downloaded the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! app in order to vote for Matt Hancock to do bushtucker trials, a cabinet minister has said.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris told Sky News he did not watch the MP for West Suffolk on the ITV reality show on Wednesday evening, but understands many of his colleagues in parliament are trying to influence what happens during his time in the jungle.

“So I know the format of the show, and I do believe there’s quite a lot of people in a building not too far away from here, the House of Commons and the House of Lords, who’ve downloaded a certain app so they can vote,” he told Kay Burley.

“I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.”

Probed as to whether this was a true story, Mr Heaton-Harris replied: “Yes, of course.”

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The Northern Ireland secretary added Mr Hancock “should be here with us voting and debating in parliament”.

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Asked whether he thinks it is “totally inappropriate” Mr Hancock is currently on the other side of the world, Mr Heaton-Harris said: “I mean, I’ve read this morning what he said about how he wants to prove that all MPs are human and that’s actually true – all MPs are human.

“But I think we do that every day in our constituencies and (through) what we do in parliament.”

Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Peter Kyle accused Mr Hancock of using his dyslexia campaigning as an “excuse” for appearing on the show.

“I’m very severely dyslexic. When I heard that Matt Hancock had used the excuse of dyslexia for going on there, I was really upset by it because I want dyslexia to be associated with success,” he told Sky News.

“For those of us who have neurological challenges and we overcome them, I think we all acknowledge that it gives us something positive in life because what you learn by overcoming channel challenges is a pathway to success.

“Very often what Matt Hancock has done is once again just associated dyslexia with failure.

“And I hate that, I just wish that we could get back to the point where we’re talking about the positive attributes to some of the barriers that people have in life.

“Matt Hancock just seems to be always dragging all of the good things in life down into the gutter.”

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Mr Hancock, who was health secretary during the coronavirus pandemic until June 2021, got a mixed reception from campmates when he made his debut on I’m A Celebrity on Wednesday evening.

Boy George revealed his mother was in hospital during the pandemic and said if she had not survived he would have quit the show when Mr Hancock entered.

The Culture Club singer was in tears after the former health secretary, who was booted out of the Conservative Party over his decision to head to the jungle, entered camp for the first time.

Meanwhile, DJ Chris Moyles said “I can’t help but think he should be at work.”

Former professional rugby player Mike Tindall accused him of talking “b*******”.

TV news presenter Charlene White questioned the former minister about why he had come on the show.

Mr Hancock replied it was because there was “stability” in government.

Ms White replied: “We’ve had stability for all of five minutes Matt.”

Mr Hancock then said: “Rishi’s great, he’ll be fine.”

The controversial contestant entered the ITV show alongside comedian Seann Walsh.

The pair were thrown in at the deep end by taking on “the beastly burrows” bushtucker trial to win food for the celebrities, and to make their way through creepy crawly-filled tunnels blindfolded to collect their stars.

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Opening the show, presenters Ant and Dec joked that Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer had now “downloaded the I’m A Celebrity app” so he could vote for Mr Hancock to face the trials.

After arriving back at camp with six stars out of a possible 11, Mr Hancock chatted with the other celebrities, as Boy George laughed and told him: “You’re really going to get it. You’re really going to get it.”

TV presenter and property developer Scarlette Douglas then asked the former minister why he had decided to do the show.

“Why?” he replied. “Because, all politicians are known – and me in particular – for being in a very sort of strict way of being, which is just not actually how we are.”

Instead, he insisted he was “more human than that”.

After a public vote for who should do the next bushtucker trial, Mr Hancock was chosen. He will do the task later, with his performance being shown on ITV tonight.

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