Rishi Sunak's 3 Embarrassing Social Media Fails This Week

The prime minister doesn't seem to be the most "online" person in Westminster.
Rishi Sunak has not had the best week on social media.
Rishi Sunak has not had the best week on social media.
via Associated Press

Rishi Sunak has not had the best week when it comes to the online world.

In fact, the prime minister has made three rather embarrassing errors on social media in just a matter of days, even though they were all about rather straightforward announcements.

So, because none of them have been removed from the internet yet, here’s a quick look at his slip-ups:

1. *That* video transition

The PM tried to do a video transition on TikTok – while announcing new funds for improving towns – by slapping the camera, a content trend which aims to split the clip into two, and show a huge contrast.

However – unlike most experienced TikTokers – Sunak didn’t move around in between the first, pre-slap shot, and the second post-slap shot.

It seems as though he’s actually sat in exactly the same place, mere seconds after shooting the first clip.

@cramlingtonnews

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reveals he is giving £20 million to Blyth Valley, which Cramlington is part of #cramlington #rishisunak #blythvalley #blyth #new #primeminister #viral #fyp #xyzbca

♬ original sound - CramlingtonNews

The TikTok was widely mocked as a result, both by other people on the platform and on X (formerly Twitter).

Rishi Sunak’s attempt at a video transition has made him viral on TikTok as people globally duet with him - here’s one from Iceland pic.twitter.com/5F3B3zSv39

— nazir afzal (@nazirafzal) October 12, 2023

Rishi Sunak is unbeatable when it comes to tiktok transitions I’m gonna need a tutorial for that one pic.twitter.com/T5QmROiSNE

— olivia 🩷 (@nathanieladamg) October 10, 2023

2. Embarrassing Euros slip-up

Sunak also used social media to promote the country winning the bid to host the 2028 Euro championships – except he failed to mention that the UK is actually a co-host.

Alongside a photo of himself with England manager Gareth Southgate and captain Harry Kane, Sunak added: “It’s official: we’ve got the Euros.

“Delighted to celebrate our winning bid with Gareth and the @England squad.

“Here we go #EURO2028.”

However, not only is it the whole of the UK hosting the Euros (not just England), it’s also in partnership with the Republic of Ireland.

It’s official: we’ve got the Euros.

Delighted to celebrate our winning bid with Gareth and the @England squad.

Here we go #EURO2028 ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/dcgxfSbvSX

— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) October 10, 2023

Obiviously, this didn’t go down that well among his online critics.

Congratulations England!

Oh, wait, he means “The UK & Ireland”?

So why would he use a photo of an England player and manager to illustrate “The UK & Ireland” and totally fail to mention that it’s not purely an English event?

Ah. Yes. Of course.

Independence please. 🏴 https://t.co/aUAzNUrdpu

— Owen Williams 🏴🇪🇺 (@OwsWills) October 10, 2023

Says everything you need to know about the “UK and Ireland” hosting Euro 2028 https://t.co/fNx4HDHsTi

— James Wilson (@jamesddwilson) October 10, 2023

3. Forgetting where Nottingham is

The prime minister also made a surprising trip to the Currys’ distribution centre earlier this week – but, according to his subsequent post, he forgot where it actually was.

In a post on X, Sunak said: “Enjoyed chatting with @currys staff in Nottingham about the long-term decisions I’m taking to build a brighter future.

“From investing in hundreds of transport projects across the North and Midlands to reaching Net Zero in a pragmatic way, I’m determined to change our country.”

However, he actually went to a village called Coddington, which is nearer Newark not Nottingham.

Newark is a market town and civil parish in the county of Nottinghamshire, while Nottingham is a city within Nottinghamshire, around 20 miles away.

Enjoyed chatting with @currys staff in Nottingham about the long-term decisions I'm taking to build a brighter future.

From investing in hundreds of transport projects across the North and Midlands to reaching Net Zero in a pragmatic way, I'm determined to change our country. pic.twitter.com/6tGgWe97sS

— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) October 9, 2023

Not only was he called out through X’s Community Notes feature, where other users add other details to the post, but he was subtly corrected by Currys’ official X account too.

An honour to give @RishiSunak an open forum with our colleagues yesterday in Newark, the home of our industry-leading Repair Centre.

Massive well done to all involved, especially our technicians who showed the PM how we give tech a longer life through cutting-edge repairs. https://t.co/AzGtIK4shR

— Currys plc (@currysplc) October 10, 2023
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