Nadine Dorries has gone viral on TikTok for all the wrong reasons, after she got a little confused about what her job as cultural secretary is all about.
In a video posted by other Tory MP Dr. Luke Evans mixes the name of the department she oversees, saying she’s responsible for making sure the UK has access to super-fast broadband so everyone can ‘downstream’ (instead of ‘download’) movies.
She says one of her goals is also to ‘make the internet in the UK the safest internet in the world’.
“It’s a huge department,” the minister said. “We’re responsible for soccer fields … tennis courts in your community.”
BBC host Gary Lineker retweeted the video to his 8.4 million followers, joking: ‘Our Minister of Sport.’
When she took to Twitter to defend herself after people accused her of not being suitable for her role, she said her dyslexia made her mix the words and say pitch instead of court.
In a statement yesterday, the Tory MP said: ‘I have dyslexia, which means that when I speak, I often gather my words together and say things that sound like the words I am trying to say.
‘Dyslexia affects people differently. For me, it affects my speech more than my writing, and therefore I find comfort in writing. ‘
According to the NHS, dyslexia is a common learning disability that mainly causes problems with reading, writing and spelling. Unlike a learning disability, intelligence is not affected.
Another symptom is that patients may speak incorrectly, misuse or pronounce words without being aware of it.
“I’ve been in politics for a long time and you get a thick skin,” she added. ‘That’s why I have not spoken publicly much about how it affects me.
“But I’ve had a hard time seeing commentators and the media mock me for anything beyond my control.”
Although the original video has only received a few thousand views, Joe.co.uk has re-posted it and now millions of people have seen it.
Questions were raised as to whether Mrs Dorries was suitable to be cultural secretary if she could not explain what the role of her department is or get the right internet terminology.
Retweeting the video, comedian Lloyd Griffith said: ‘It’s insane that in 2022 people will get jobs without any experience whatsoever.
“Imagine being in charge of Britain’s digital, culture, media and sports, just because 38,692 Tories voted for you in the middle of Bedfordshire.”
Mrs Dorries’ mistake comes just months after she failed to explain how Channel 4, which the government wants to privatize, is funded.
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