John Bercow has dismissed speculation that he is taking part in any reality television shows as “utterly false” as he stands down as Commons Speaker.
Mr Bercow specifically dismissed a rumour he was interested in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, saying he would not join the ITV show for “any fee”.
The denial came after he took part in what was expected to be his last Commons clash with an MP on Thursday.
There have been many rumours about what Mr Bercow will do after his 10 years in the chair, and Boris Johnson even linked him to the jungle show in a joke.
But a spokeswoman said: “Any rumours circulating to the effect that Speaker John Bercow is interested in taking part in ITV’s ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’ – at any fee level – are utterly false.
“He’s not taking part in any reality shows.”
Bookmaker Coral had him at 4/5 to be a contestant on the show and 10/1 to go on and win it.
The Prime Minister referenced the show in his Tory conference speech in a criticism of Parliament, which he has sought to blame for failing to get a Brexit deal approved.
“If Parliament were a reality TV show then the whole lot of us I’m afraid would have been voted out of the jungle by now,” Mr Johnson said.
“But at least we would have the consolation of a Speaker being forced to eat a kangaroo testicle.”
Mr Bercow later referenced the PM’s words when suffering from a croaky voice during a Commons debate.
“I just wanted to take the opportunity to confirm to the House that the state of my throat – which is purely temporary – is not down to the consumption of a kangaroo’s testicle,” Mr Bercow said.
“I wouldn’t eat it. It would probably be poisoned.”