Jeremy Hunt refers to UK Government as “English Government” in slip up in the House of Commons

Jeremy Hunt has referred to the UK Government as the “English Government” in a slip up in the House of Commons when responding to MPs.

Quizzing the chancellor on the Autumn Budget, Plaid Cymru MP Ben Lake asked Jeremy Hunt to explain how does he expected budgets in Wales to meet up with rising cost of living.

Responding, Hunt began: “Because of the way the Barnett consequentials work this is a cash amount that the Welsh Government will receive, but if they do what the English government is doing with schools and hospitals...” however was soon cut off by jeering around the House from members of the Opposition benches.

Hunt then returned to his point and corrected his error, stating: “If they do what the United Kingdom government is doing in England with schools and hospitals, then there will be a real terms increase in Welsh schools and in Welsh hospitals."

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The error was jumped on by Opposition MPs, with SNP MP Amy Callaghan tweeting: “Chancellor Jeremy Hunt just referred to the English government’s budget. A slip of the tongue or the truth laid bare for all to hear?”

SNP MP Angus MacNeil also tweeted: “Chancellor has just called the Government at Westminster, "the English Government"

Earlier, SNP Treasury spokeswoman Alison Thewlis told MPs: “I want to come to the policy that unites all the unionist parties in this House: Brexit. Tories, Labour, the Lib Dems, all Brexiteers now, truly committed to this futile project of deliberate self-destruction.”

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt delivering his autumn statement to MPs in the House of Commons, London. Picture date: Thursday November 17, 2022.

She added: “Scotland did not vote for this. We did not choose austerity and we did not choose Brexit.

“The OBR say that living standards are to fall by 7% over the next two years. It ought to be of no surprise to anybody that just shy of half of Scots think the UK won’t exit in its current form in the next five years.

“This is a UK so weak that no-one would wish to join it. Scotland cannot be forced to stay in broke, broken, Brexit Britain.”

Jeremy Hunt replied: “I understand that separation means more to her than anything else in politics but families in Scotland today heard other things. They heard £600 million for the Scottish NHS, £385 million for schools, over £4 billion to help Scottish families with their energy bills.”