No10 rapidly deletes social post after humiliating error when celebrating Northern Ireland
No10 rapidly deletes social post after humiliating error when celebrating Northern Ireland
PA
Downing Street had to quickly delete an Instagram post which was celebrating the culture of Northern Ireland, after an embarrassing blunder.
Businesses from across the country were invited to a reception at No10 to celebrate the country’s finest products and services.
However, the original post featured an Irish flag emoji in the caption, with No10’s account quickly removing the post.
The inclusion of the flag suggested that it was the Republic of Ireland’s culture – not Northern Ireland's – being celebrated.
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A new version of the post without the tricolour flag was quickly uploaded in its place.
The flag has no official status in Northern Ireland, although it is used by many Irish nationalists.
It reads: “Yesterday we celebrated the culture of Northern Ireland with a reception in Downing Street.
“Businesses from across Northern Ireland arrived to showcase some of the best produce the country has to offer.”
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The original post featured an Irish flag emoji in the caption10 Downing Street - InstagramUlster Unionist Party leader Doug Beattie said it showed Westminster did not “understand us or know us”.
He used the incident as a vehicle for calling for power-sharing in Northern Ireland.
“We are better served with devolved Government,” he said.
“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.”
Northern Ireland has been without a devolved government at Stormont since February 2022
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Despite the hasty edit, people across social media were quick to notice the mistake.
One said: “Did anyone in No10 flag the error?”
Another joked: “Thanks for flagging that up.”
A third chimed in: “That can’t be real can it?”
Northern Ireland has been without a devolved Government at Stormont since February 2022 after the DUP refused to assent to the election of a speaker as part of a protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol.