Man arrested on suspicion of assaulting Matt Hancock

The former health secretary was on the London Underground when the incident took place.

Man arrested on suspicion of assaulting former health secretary Matt Hancock on London Underground Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street

A man has been arrested on suspicion of assaulting former health secretary Matt Hancock on the London Underground.

The MP, who came third in last year’s series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, is understood to have been unhurt in Tuesday’s incident which began at Westminster station before continuing on a Tube train.

A spokesman for Hancock, who represents West Suffolk, said it was an “unpleasant encounter”.

British Transport Police said they received a report of a man being “assaulted and harassed” at the station next to the House of Commons before 9am.

“A 61-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of common assault and a public order offence and remains in custody,” the force said.

Inquiries are ongoing.

Hancock’s spokesman said: “Both Transport for London staff and the British Transport Police were fantastic and the man has since been arrested.”

He added “this sort of behaviour is a rare occurrence” and stressed the “importance of shutting down baseless misinformation which causes so much harm”.

“Matt wants to put on record his thanks to TfL and the British Transport Police for their extraordinary work,” the spokesman added.

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