HOME Secretary Priti Patel led yesterday's Downing Street coronavirus briefing, advising the UK on the latest updates in the battle against the outbreak.
But she drew fierce criticism after refusing to apologise for reports of failure to provide adequate PPE to frontline NHS workers, instead announcing that she was "sorry if people felt there was a failure".
And people were left even more outraged when she moved on to talk about how many Covid-19 tests had been carried out – confidently claiming that there had been "three hundred thousand, and thirty four, nine hundred and seventy four thousand" tests for the virus.
Based on written information provided on the Government's website, it would appear that she attempted to quote "334,974".
Social media users were quick to react, with many drawing parallels between Patel issuing non-existent figures on the subject of an ongoing pandemic to a country in lockdown, and the scrutiny Diane Abbott came under in 2017 when she misspoke on the cost of extra policing.
It was also pointed out that given the importance of the figures, Patel did not stop to correct herself on the information being given, but instead chose to continue with no acknowledgement.
Priti Patel:
— Kerry-Anne Mendoza (@TheMendozaWoman) April 11, 2020
"Three hundred thousand and thirty four, nine hundred and seventy four thousand tests carried out across the UK"
If Diane Abbott made that mistake, it’d be front page news. pic.twitter.com/r3kciVxqQ0
NEWS! Priti Patel announces the country has undertaken eleventy-billion Covid-19 tests
— NewsThump (@newsthump) April 12, 2020
#marr Any news in the papers about Priti Patel galactically screwing up her numbers yesterday? You know, the way that Diane Abbott was mercilessly pilloried by the press week after week?
— Stephen Miller (@BoyCharioteer) April 12, 2020
The weirdest thing about Priti Patel getting the number wrong is that she doesn't stop and correct herself. We all make mistakes, we're all human. But the modern way is simply to deny your mistakes. And it makes you look like an idiot. And inhuman.
— Adrian Edmondson (@AdrianEdmondson) April 12, 2020
Priti Patel just said in the daily government press briefing:
— Hasan Patel 🌹 (@CorbynistaTeen) April 11, 2020
"Three hundred thousand thirty four, nine hundred and seventy four thousand tests carried out in the UK".
I wonder whether she’ll get the same treatment from the press that Diane Abbott got for her figures.
The Home Secretary had become a talking point before yesterday's briefing, having been absent from public appearances throughout the outbreak.
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