Who thought putting ‘Hunt’s cuts’ in a script was a good idea?
Robert Peston became the latest news presenter to fall victim to Jeremy Hunt’s name, after mistakenly calling the chancellor ‘Jeremy c**t’ live on his ITV show.
The political editor made the blunder on Wednesday (19 October) as he was giving a summary of the farcical events that had unfolded in the House of Commons that day.
“That means the hole in the public finances is bigger than it would have been, and Jeremy c***’s – Hunt’s – cuts will be more painful,” he said.
Peston: “Jeremy C***t’s Hunt’s cuts will be more painful.” pic.twitter.com/SiKjWHeRUb
— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) October 19, 2022
Hunt undoubtedly has a name that strikes fear into even the hardiest news reader. Over the years, many have fallen victim to what some may label a Freudian slip, as you can see below…
Just a handy compilation of all the times people have got Jeremy Hunt's name wrong.
(Will probably need updating soon) pic.twitter.com/u8hr3xwAI8— Daniel🎗🏴 ॐ (@DannyDutch) January 17, 2019
Peston wasn’t the only news presenter who dropped the C-bomb on Thursday night.
Channel 4 newscaster Krishnan Guru-Murthy had to apologise “unreservedly” to Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker after he was heard saying “what a c***” following an exchange with the Tory MP.
The broadcaster said the remark followed a “robust interview” with Baker but it was “beneath the standards I set myself”.
“I have reached out to Steve Baker to say sorry,” he added.
After a robust interview with Steve Baker MP I used a very offensive word in an unguarded moment off air. While it was not broadcast that word in any context is beneath the standards I set myself and I apologise unreservedly. I have reached out to Steve Baker to say sorry
— Krishnan Guru-Murthy (@krishgm) October 19, 2022
In an interview with Times Radio, Baker said that sacking Guru-Murthy would be a “service to the public” if he was found to be in breach of his code of conduct.
“I had an interview earlier with a journalist I don’t have a great deal of regard for who I felt was misrepresenting the situation through the construction of his question, which I called out, I think live on air, or I thought it was a pre-record,” he said.
“And he clearly didn’t like that, quite right, too. But I’d be quite honest, I spent a long time live on air, calling him out on his conduct as a journalist and glad to do so any time.
“But it’s most unfortunate that he’s sworn on air like that. If it’s in breach of his code of conduct, I do hope they sack him – it would be a service to the public.”
Baker later replied to Guru-Murthy’s tweet, accepting the apology and saying he “appreciated” the gesture.
It came at the end of one of the most chaotic and tumultuous days ever seen in Parliament.
Wednesday saw Suella Braverman leave her role as Home Secretary, followed by confusion over whether the chief whip had resigned, and reports of bullying and manhandling in the parliamentary lobby over a vote on fracking.
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