Watch: Hoyle’s mix-up in race debate

Oh dear. It’s not been the best of weeks for Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle. First, there was the debacle over the Standards Commissioner all of last week. Then Hoyle’s plans to review existing standards procedures leaked on Sunday – something no doubt of deep embarrassment to the Speaker, in light of his constant criticisms of ministers briefing policy to the press before Parliament.

And now, Hoyle has made something of an unfortunate gaffe in a parliamentary debate on the racism row at Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Attempting to call Labour MP Imran Hussain, the sexagenerian Speaker mixed him up to instead produce the fictitious MP ‘Mohammad Hussain’ – prompting muted rebukes from Hussain’s colleagues in the chamber. To make matters worse, the MP’s question was then listed on Parliament’s official online TV channel as being asked by Mohammad Yasin – a different MP altogether.

It’s not the first time Parliament’s official TV channel has got it wrong, having previously attributed a question put by Abena Oppong-Asare to Taiwo Owatemi, while BBC Parliament has previously miscaptioned comments by Marsha de Cordova as fellow Labour MP Dawn Butler.