Politics

Priti Patel causes confusion after post 'cringe-worthy' message to Olly Murs

Priti Patel causes confusion after post 'cringe-worthy' message to Olly Murs
Priti Patel dances with Nigel Farage at Conservative Party conference
Emily Hewertson

Tory MP Priti Patel has been accused of being “cringe worthy” over a bizarre congratulatory tweet to singer Olly Murs after the birth of his daughter.

The Conservative MP for Witham Patel served as Home Secretary from 2019 and 2022, during which time she gained a reputation for her highly controversial policies and rhetoric.

Patel was dubbed the “worst Home Secretary in history” by actor Hugh Grant who is a fierce opponent of the Conservative government.

She resigned after Liz Truss became leader of the Conservative party and has since flown relatively under the radar after returning to the Tory backbenches.

On Wednesday (17 April), Patel left people baffled after posting a tweet congratulating Murs on the birth of his and his wife’s baby daughter, Madison.

She wrote: “Sending my best wishes and congratulations to Witham’s most famous resident

@ollymurs and his wife on the joyous birth of their baby daughter.

“I am sure she won't be a ‘troublemaker’ like her dad!”

The gag, which used the name of one of Murs’s songs, caused utter confusion among X/Twitter users who appeared to find the whole thing quite surreal.

Someone called it, “One of the saddest things this platform has ever seen”.

Someone else argued: “Out of all the cringe worthy tweets by MPs this has to be one of the worst.

“We know one of your team will have had to explain to you who Olly Murs was.”

Another said: “Had to check it wasn't a parody.”


“Everything about this is cursed,” someone else said.

Another asked: “Am I having a stroke?”

“Can this country be normal for five minutes,” someone else asked.

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