Matt Hancock has had the Tory whip suspended after it emerged he was entering the jungle for ITV's I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!

Chief whip Simon Hart said: “Following a conversation with Matt Hancock, I have considered the situation and believe this is a matter serious enough to warrant suspension of the whip with immediate effect.”

This means the former health secretary is essentailly expelled from the Conservative Party and will have to sit as an independent until the whip is restored.

The Tory politician, who was forced to resign from cabinet after an affair with a work colleague was exposed, will be the 12th ‘celebrity’ to enter the jungle.

Ten celebrities will go into camp when the new series starts this weekend with Hancock, 44, being one of two latecomers alongside BBC Strictly Come Dancing and comedian Seann Walsh.

An insider told The Sun: "Matt is a sensational signing for the show as producers love a star with a story to tell - and they always hope they'll spill the beans round the campfire.

"He's the latest in a long line of figures from the political sphere, including MP Nadine Dorries, Stanley Johnson and MP Lembit Opik.

"There's been a  question mark over who the twelfth campmate would be, partly because negotiations over Matt going in were so top secret. It seems Matt was a last-minute signing."