MATT Hancock is to quit the House of Commons after losing the confidence of his local Tory party.

The former Health Secretary and erstwhile TV celebrity confirmed he would not be standing  again in his West Suffolk constituency at the next general election.

His majority over Labour in the 2019 election was a massive 23,194.

However Mr Hancock has been criticised by many of his constituents for recently leaving Westminster to appear on I’m a Celebrity in Australia, on which he came third.

His decision to put the show ahead of his parliamentary duties saw him lose the Tory whip.

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He has also agreed to take part in another TV show about SAS survival courses.

The i newspaper reported his local constituency association had declared him "not fit" to represent the seat, and he quit just before it made its position public today.

According to the i, Terry Wood, president of the West Suffolk Conservatives, wrote to Tory Chief whip Simon Hart last week informing him the association had "no confidence" in him, and asked that he never have the Tory whip restored, effectively barring him from standing for the party again.

 “This vote was brought about following feedback from the constituents in West Suffolk, advising that by virtue of recent events, they consider Matt Hancock not fit to represent this constituency," Mr Wood wrote.

In his letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Hancock told Rishi Sunak: “It has been an honour to serve in Parliament and represent the people of West Suffolk.

“I will play my part in the debate about the future of our country and engage with the public in new ways.”

Mr Hancock said that the Tory chief Whip had told him that the whip would be restored “in due course”.

But the MP said that would be “now not necessary” and that he wants to “do things differently”.

He said that he was “incredibly proud” of the Conservatives’ achievements in government but told Mr Sunak that he had discovered new ways of connecting with the public and urged his party to “reconnect” with people.

“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.

“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.

"The revival of modern conservatism over the next decade will I suspect take place as much outside Parliament as in it.

“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.

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Mr Hancock, who also posted a video on the social media site TikTok announcing his decision, told the prime minister: “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.”

The decision means Mr Hancock joins other high-profile Tory MPs, including former Cabinet ministers Sajid Javid and Chloe Smith, in stepping down at the next election.

Besides the controversy over his TV appearances and earnings, Mr Hancock has also been criticised for appearing to cash in on his time as health secretary when Covid struck by publishing his "Pandemic Diaries" this week.

He potentially faces criticism from the UK Inquiry into the Government's response to the pandemic, when his former local pub landlord made a fortune from selling PPE.