Phillip Schofield has incited more than 600 Ofcom complaints after making a jibe about Matt Hancock’s dyslexia during an interview on This Morning.
Last week, Phil and his regular co-host Holly Willoughby interviewed the former health secretary about his campaign calling for children to be screened for dyslexia – a condition Hancock was diagnosed with during his time at university – before they start secondary school.
During the interview, the presenter couldn’t resist a dig at the scandal Hancock found himself in over the summer, commenting: “Was it your dyslexia that meant you misread the social distancing rules?”
At the time, Phil divided viewers on social media with his remark, with some praising the daytime host for grilling Hancock about the incident, while others suggested he was making light of the learning difficulty.
It’s since been reported by Metro that a total of 626 people complained to media watchdog Ofcom about the remark.
As is standard procedure, Ofcom will assess these complaints before deciding whether to launch an investigation.
ITV had no comment on the matter when contacted by HuffPost UK last week.
Matt Hancock resigned from his position as health secretary in June, after photos of him kissing his aide were published in the media.
He said in a video posted on his Twitter account at the time: “I understand the enormous sacrifices that everybody in this country has made – that you have made.
“And those of us who make these rules have got to stick by them, and that’s why I’ve got to resign.”
This Morning airs every weekday from 10am on ITV.