Matt Hancock responds after TikTok shows him wearing Newcastle shirt auctioned to NHS three years ago

Matt Hancock has caused controversy after he appeared in a Tik Tok video wearing a Newcastle United shirt ahead of the Carabao Cup final.

After violating Covid-19 restrictions during his time as health secretary before trying to rebuild his reputation by telling his sob story on the most recent series of I'm a Celebrity, It's fair to say that Matt Hancock is not the most popular person in the UK.

The former Conservative MP has clearly not given up on trying to rectify his public image, as on Sunday he took to Tik Tok to show his support for Newcastle ahead of the Carabao Cup final.

In the ten-second clip, Hancock, wearing a Newcastle shirt, could barely contain his excitement.

"So exciting! If you've been a Newcastle fan, we've waited years for this," he beamed.

"We haven't been to Wembley for years. This is the most exciting thing that happened since Kevin Keegan. Bring it on."

Unfortunately for Hancock and his fellow Newcastle fans, the Magpies succumbed to a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United, their ninth successive loss at Wembley.

Even more unfortunate for Hancock though was he got caught out wearing a shirt he auctioned to charity three years ago.

In 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, radio DJ Chris Evans hosted an auction to raise money for NHS workers.

Bruno Guimaraes is now a star at Newcastle. (PA Images)

All the money raised would go toward charity Scrubs Glorious Scrubs, which sewed non-surgical scrubs for desperately underequipped NHS staff.

Just under £600,000 was raised, £1,850 of which came from Hancock auctioning off a signed Newcastle shirt.

In the item description, Hancock said the shirt was 'gifted [to him] by Uncle Dave', adding: "It was because of him that I am now a lifelong supporter and fan of Newcastle United."

Hancock even offered to sign the shirt himself, although it's not known whether the winning bidder took him up on the offer.

Understandably, there was uproar online when Hancock appeared in his latest Tik Tok wearing what looked to be the same shirt.

While some suspected foul play, a spokesperson for Hancock spoke to LBC to clear up the situation.

"Matt put his signed Newcastle football shirt up for sale as part of Chris Evans' NHS charity appeal to raise money for scrubs, but the person who bought it very kindly gave Matt's beloved shirt back to him as a gift," they said.

Topics: Newcastle United, Manchester United, Carabao Cup, Wembley Stadium, Erik Ten Hag, Eddie Howe

Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton is a Sports Trends Writer at SPORTbible. He has previously worked with publications including the Manchester Evening News, GOAL and BBC Sport. He is a football fanatic, but also dabbles in tennis and American football. He enjoys running, cooking and watching non-league football.

@alex_brotherton