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Greg Evans
Apr 22, 2020
Don't you just hate it when you are trying to make a relevant point about something and fate goes right ahead and proves that for you?
Well, that's exactly what happened to Labour MP Julie Elliott on Wednesday when she attempted to say something about superfast broadband during a select committee hearing on the impact of coronavirus in the areas of digital, culture, media and sport.
Elliott, who has been the MP for Sunderland Central since 2010, began to touch on the topic of superfast broadband in certain areas of the country, a prevalent topic due to the country's newfound reliance on the technology thanks to lockdown measures forcing large numbers of the population to work from home.
However, as soon as she began to talk it was obvious that something was up with her internet connection as she soon became inaudible. Oh, the irony...
The other MPs on the videocall struggled to contain their amusement but Julian Knight, the Tory MP for Solihull waded in and cleared the situation up, saying:
The irony...OK Julie, your broadband has ironically managed to fail on you while you were talking about the failures of superfast broadband. Do you want to start the question from the start?
Elliott then tried a second stab at the question.
What I was saying is that it highlights the problems. I pay for superfast broadband and the three and half kilometers to my exchange only 280 meters are fibre connected which is why you are seeing the problems that I aptly showed there.
At this point Elliott's internet failed again prompting Oliver Dowden, the digital, culture, media and sport secretary to step in and attempt to answer the question.
Although select committee hearings aren't always the most compelling viewing, people's hearts went out to Elliott and her technological woes.
Where's that broadband communism when you need it, aye?
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