Former Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale has today landed in Australia amid a storm over her decision to take part in I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
The politician was not given permission by her party to take part in the reality show but looked delighted as she shook hands with a kangaroo and cuddled a koala.
Ms Dugdale then jumped into a helicopter and waved cheerily as it flew her towards the jungle camp to meet stars including Amir Khan, Rebekah Vardy and Dennis Wise.
Yesterday New Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said the party did not approve her decision to take three weeks off work to join the show in the Australian jungle.
She had asked the party’s business manager for permission – but it was refused.
Former Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale has today landed in Australia amid a storm over her decision to take part in I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
Labour MSPs are expected to meet today to decide whether their former leader should be suspended from the party following a public backlash against her decision to appear on the ITV show during the Scottish parliament term.
The Scottish Daily Mail understands that some will attempt to persuade others in the group that Miss Dugdale’s decision is so ill-judged that she should be suspended and forced to become an independent MSP.
She is expected to make her debut on the show within the next 36 hours and was due to arrive at Brisbane airport late last night.
She will be joining Stanley Johnson, 77, who has made a series of gaffes worthy of his Foreign Secretary son Boris during his short spell in camp
The former politician and author made his first uncomfortable remark when he was introduced to footballer Jamie Vardy’s wife Rebekah during Sunday night’s launch show.
After she explained to him that she was ‘the wife of Jamie Vardy, who plays for England’, he asked her if he was heading to The Ashes this week, after presuming he was a cricketer.
Meanwhile, viewers have already been treated to the first of the stomach-churning Bushtucker Trials.
Made In Chelsea’s Georgia Toffolo – known as Toff – and boxer Amir Khan were voted for by the public to take part in the ‘Critter-Cal Rescue’ challenge.
Khan grappled with maggots, snakes and cockroaches as he searched for keys, while Miss Toffolo, 23, was heard screaming ‘they’re in my knickers’ after being locked in a chamber filled with cockroaches and crickets.
Ahead of today’s first group meeting since he became Labour leader, Mr Leonard yesterday spoke of his ‘personal disappointment’ about his predecessor’s decision.
He said: ‘There are issues, not just the fact that she is there and the kind of programme it is and people’s view of that, there is also a question about whether she got permission to do it.’
Pressed on whether she had been given the party’s backing to take part in the show, he stated: ‘My understanding is she sought permission and wasn’t given permission.’
Later, Mr Leonard said that she had asked him if she could take three weeks off to do work for charity that was ‘close to her heart’, but had made no mention of it being to appear on I’m a Celebrity.
He said he would not have approved if he had known. It is understood that she told Scottish Labour’s business manager, James Kelly, last month that she wanted to take time off to go on the show but he said he could not give permission because there would be a new leader in place.
She then approached both Mr Leonard and his leadership rival Anas Sarwar to ask for time off to undertake an unspecified project raising money for charity. Both candidates said they would be satisfied with her taking time off.
Asked about a potential push from some politicians to suspend Miss Dugdale, one MSP said last night: ‘I will be interested to hear the views of the group. I certainly think all issues relating to this should be considered by the group.’
Before flying out to Australia, Miss Dugdale tabled a series of parliamentary questions about intersex issues.
Former Conservative MP Edwina Currie, who appeared on the show after leaving politics, also condemned Miss Dugdale’s decision. She said: ‘Serving politicians have a job to do. They’ve only got one job to do and that’s the one they should stick at.
‘For retired politicians it’s a different matter entirely and I put my money on Stanley Johnson to win.’
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: ‘I’m not sure I entirely understand what Kezia Dugdale thinks she will benefit from this. I’m also not clear what her motivation might be.
‘It’s not a decision that I would take and I’m not sure there are many politicians would choose to do what she is doing.
‘That said, she is in the Scottish Labour Party, they appear to be a nest of vipers, so perhaps getting away from that to the jungle is something, when you see it in that context, that is easier to understand.’
She added: ‘It’s not something I would want to see an SNP MSP do. MSPs are elected to represent their constituents and I think it is important they do that.’
At the weekend, Labour MSP Neil Findlay made a scathing attack on Miss Dugdale, saying her decision was ‘utterly ludicrous’.
He said: ‘We’ve got a pretty serious job to do, people out there are struggling and there’s huge pressures on public services and that’s the job we should be doing.’
Miss Dugdale is in a relationship with Nationalist MSP Jenny Gilruth, who is said to be planning to ‘cheer her on from home’ rather than travelling to Australia, as some partners do.
Former Attorney General Dominic Grieve also told ITV’s Good Morning Britain that going on shows such as I’m a Celebrity demeaned public office.
He said: ‘It’s not what we should be doing.’