Penny Mordaunt

Belly flop? Another Tory MP heads for reality TV

Belly flop? Another Tory MP heads for reality TV

By politics.co.uk staff

Tory backbencher Penny Mordaunt is to become the latest politician to venture into the perilous world of reality TV.

The Portsmouth North MP, who is currently ranked fifth on the sexymp.co.uk website, will appear in distinctly unparliamentary swimwear in January 18th's edition of diver Tom Daley's show Splash!

"I have the elegance and drive of a paving slab, but my navy training has certainly given me the guts to take on the challenge head on," she said.

Mordaunt joins a raft of other politicians to place themselves at the mercy of brutal TV producers.

She will hope her appearance does not result in the feline humiliation experienced by George Galloway on Celebrity Big Brother or the utter failure of Nadine Dorries to win over voters on I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!

Dorries was suspended from the Conservative party after jetting down under to take part in the show without the permission of Tory whips.

She was forced to apologise to MPs after refusing to reveal how much she had earned from her appearance on the programme because of a confidentiality agreement with ITV.

Mordaunt has avoided that fate by getting the green light for her appearance. She intends to donate her £7,000 fee for appearing on the show to charity.

She added: "Not only is Splash! a great personal development experience but it also seemed like the perfect way to fund raise for a charity I'm very passionate about – the Hilsea Lido in Portsmouth which is being renovated by the community. I will be donating my fee for the programme to assist with the renovations."

Her decision attracted instant condemnation from her Labour challenger, John Ferrett, whose tweet focused on BAE Systems' decision to relocate its shipbuilding facilities away from her constituency.