Matt Hancock ridiculed on social media as Twitter video draws comparisons to Alan Partridge

‘It’s nice to be out and about,’ MP tells one local

Matt Hancock has drawn comparisons to Alan Partridge over a bizarre Twitter video of him meeting members of the public.

The clip, posted by the former health secretary on social media, showed him interacting with locals in his constituency, giving fist bumps and meeting a woman who says she is a “big fan”.

“I’m alright,” he tells a man at a food van during one conversation. “It’s nice to be ... it’s nice to be out and about.”

He asks other locals in Haverhill in his West Suffolk constituency how business is going, speaks with them about local matters and receives praise from some.

“It’s been good to see you,” one woman says while touching his arm. “You’ve been brilliant,” she adds, giving him a pat on the cheek.

“Well, you know, we’ve got through it haven’t we? And now coming out the other side,” Mr Hancock replies.

But the video has been mocked by some on social media, who likened it to comedy character Alan Partridge.

“Alan Partridge’s new series is a bit short on laughs!” someone else said while sharing the video.

“This short clip leaves you feeling like you’ve binged four seasons of Partridge,” another Twitter user said about the video.

“When you see Alan Partridge tending and you find it’s @MattHancock being more Partridge than Partridge,” someone else said.

Other replies compared the video to political comedy show The Thick of It.

“This is a comedy sketch, right?” someone else said.

Mr Hancock stepped down as health secretary earlier this year after after admitting breaching Covid rules after details of his affair with aide Gina Coladangelo emerged.

But he remains as Tory MP for West Suffolk, where he said he was “out & about” in the town of Haverhill on Saturday.

He said it was “great” to “chat to people on the high street and see the brilliant new splash park funded by the Council” as he shared the video of him meeting members of the public on Twitter.

“There we go, fist bump,” he says as he greets a worker in a fish and chip shop, before adding: “How are you doing? How’s business?”

In another interaction, he meets a woman who says: “I’m a big fan.”

“That’s kind of you to say,” Mr Hancock replies.