Matt Hancock's wife urged to stand for his seat at next election
11 December 2022, 10:11
Matt Hancock's wife has been urged to stand for his seat in the next general election.
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Martha Hancock has been told to run more than a year after she hit the headlines when her estranged husband was caught on CCTV kissing his aide.
The former health secretary announced he would not contest it as he fell out with some local Tories, who said they wouldn’t back him to run again.
And Mrs Hancock has now been urged to stand in his stead for the West Suffolk seat.
"Martha is very active in local politics. People think she could stand. She is being encouraged to put herself forward," a Tory source told the Mail.
Ian Houlder, a West Suffolk councillor, said: "If she;s thinking of standing, she would have to throw her hat into the ring with all the other applicants.
"She may get through on a sympathy vote, but people should go into politics for the right reasons."
He added: "I think Matt Hancock should go now rather than wait for two years."
Mrs Hancock came into the public eye after her husband was caught kissing Gina Coladangelo.
The affair brought down his career as well as his marriage, as he later ended up leaving Government and will now step aside as MP.
He left Mrs Hancock to have a relationship with Ms Coladangelo, and has since explained his side of the story on I'm A Celebrity, on which he finished third.
He had the Tory whip suspended over his appearance on the show as calls grew for him to quit.
There was anger at his decision to travel to Australia as Britain faces the cost of living crisis and a wave of strikes.
It has been reported he plans to fully launch a TV career.
Mrs Hancock is an osteopath who met Mr Hancock at Oxford. They have two sons and a daughter.
