‘Says it all!’ Number 10 blasted for nightmare blunder in Northern Ireland announcement
Downing Street quickly edited a social media post after being caught accidentally using a Republic of Ireland emoji in reference to Northern Ireland.
Joe Biden greeted by Sunak as he arrives in Northern Ireland
Downing Street has been blasted by unionists after they were spotted captioning a post about Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland flag emoji.
In a post on their official Instagram account, Downing Street promoted its event outside the famous black door last night, celebrating “the culture of Northern Ireland with a reception in Downing Street”.
It added: “Businesses from across Northern Ireland arrived to showcase some of the best produce the country has to offer.”
The error was hastily edited, but not before journalists spotted the diplomatic faux pas and screenshotted the evidence.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister has now admitted it was an “error” and “was quickly deleted”.
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However the mistake has caused anger among unionists in Northern Ireland, with one DUP MP describing the error as “unreal”, adding: “Says it all really.”
The leader of the Ulster Unionists, Doug Beattie, has said the post shows Westminster does not “understand us or know us”.
“We are better served with a devolved government.
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"There are people out there who want to hand all the devolved power we have back to Westminster and here is what Westminster is doing," he told the Nolan Show.
"They don't understand Northern Ireland."
One social media user joked: “The social media intern needs firing.”
Another added: “Imagine working in 10 Downing Street and not knowing the flag of your own country. Just wow.”
