Hancock faces political uncertainty after his stint at I’m a Celebrity – follow live

The government must say whether it intends to bring forward new plans to address the cancer treatment backlog in the wake of the pandemic, the new Tory chairman of the health and social care committee has said.

Conservative MP Steve Brine expressed doubt that the government still intended to bring forward a new cancer treatment plan.

The former health minister also claimed that holding the government’s feet to the fire over the backlog would be his top priority, following his election by MPs to the committee chairmanship in early November.

Read more in this report:

Business secretary Grant Shapps has written to energy suppliers to warn them not overcharge customers making “huge efforts” to cut their usage.

The cabinet minister said he was “disturbed” at reports that some customers had seen a huge spike in direct debit charges despite cutting back on the amount of gas and electricity.

Mr Shapps urged the utility giants to reflect what homes are actually using in their prices, as hard-pressed families struggle to pay bills struggling during the cost of living crisis.

Rishi Sunak should “revisit” the Brexit trade deal already agreed with the EU as part of an effort to forge closer economic ties with the bloc, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change has said.

The think tank said it was time to consider ways to improve on the trade and cooperation agreement (TCA) signed by Boris Johnson, which is due for review at the end of 2025.

It comes as new analysis revealed that UK export growth has fallen well behind that of other major economies, including Germany and France, despite claims by the Conservative government that Brexit would boost British business abroad.

My colleague Adam Forrest has more:

Britain’s export growth has fallen well behind that of other major countries, including Germany and the US, since the Tories came to power, new analysis shows.

Figures collated by the House of Commons Library show that UK trade exports grew just 24.4 per cent between 2010 and 2021, representing the lowest rate of growth among G7 countries apart from Japan.

The EU averaged export growth of 35.5 per cent during the same period, while the US saw a 37 per cent boost and Germany averaged 34.5 per cent – all substantially better than the UK.

Our policy correspondent Jon Stone has more:

Former health secretary Matt Hancock will return to face angry colleagues, constituents and questions about his political future in Westminster after coming third in ITV’s I’m A Celebrity.

The West Suffolk MP surpassed the expectations of many by reaching the final but came behind winner Jill Scott and Hollyoaks actor Owen Warner in a public vote on Sunday night.

His 18 days in the Australian jungle has seen him suspended from the Conservative parliamentary party and criticised by colleagues including Rishi Sunak.

Read more in this report about what his colleagues think about the stint: