Reform UK’s pledge to scrap the TV licence hit an embarrassing snag after a social media gaffe left the party red-faced. During a lively display at the party’s conference, chairman Lee Anderson ripped up his TV licence in front of a cheering audience, only for an awkward misspelling on social media to undermine the moment.
The party has been vocal about its disdain for the TV licence, with Anderson making a spectacle out of his defiance. Addressing the crowd, he said: “Let’s be honest, friends, we have made mistakes in the past, and when we make mistakes, we must apologise. And we have been responsible for some awful things, like the BBC.”
Anderson continued, recalling how he had already publicly ripped up his TV licence online after receiving a renewal notice. “Just a few weeks back, they sent me a reminder for my TV licence, and I ripped it up online,” he said. To the crowd’s amusement, he added, “Guess what, they’ve sent me another,” before tearing it up once again.
However, the party’s stance on scrapping the TV licence took an unexpected turn when a social media post, intended to support their campaign, misspelled the word “licence.” The gaffe was quickly picked up by eagle-eyed social media users, with one user, Mr. Tibbles, poking fun at the error on X (formerly Twitter), pointing out the irony of the party being unable to spell the very thing they want to abolish.
While the blunder sparked plenty of laughter online, it also raised questions about the seriousness of Reform UK’s pledge to scrap the TV licence. Critics have suggested that such slip-ups make it harder for the party to be taken seriously on significant policy issues.
The gaffe has only added fuel to the ongoing debate over the TV licence, with Reform UK pushing to abolish it altogether. But for many, the misspelling has become the focal point of the conversation, overshadowing the party’s message and drawing attention to its apparent lack of attention to detail.
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