Michael Gove summed up his own incompetence with an outrageously incorrect Ukrainian visa claim
Michael Gove has been doing the media dance to explain the government’s plan for helping Ukrainian refugees, whose plight grows more desperate by the hour.
Today it is Michael Gove's turn to explain that we are 'leading the world' in our response to the Ukraine invasion, by putting up barriers to refugees and allowing Russian oligarchs to move their money to safety before sanctioning them.#SundayMorning #Ridge
— Parody Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson_MP) March 13, 2022
One of his interviews was with Sky’s Sophie Ridge, where he garbled the figures on how many had already been granted visas to enter.
“More then 300,000 visas have been issued” @michaelgove proudly tells @RidgeOnSunday. Asked to clarify – it turns out to be 3,000
— Peter Stefanovic (@PeterStefanovi2) March 13, 2022
Here’s how that looked.
#Ridge – How many visas have been issued to Ukrainians?
Michael Gove – 300,000#Ridge – Just to clarify.. 300,000 vivas, that's up from 1305 on Thursday?
Michael Gove – It's more than 3000 visas #SundayMorning pic.twitter.com/2ckpeeKyeq
— Haggis_UK 🇬🇧 🇪🇺 (@Haggis_UK) March 13, 2022
It reminded people of Diane Abbott’s confusion over policing costs, for which she was and continues to be ridiculed, but which she attributed to a hypoglycaemic episode caused by her diabetes.
BREAKING: Michael Gove says 300,000 visas have been given out to Ukrainians. This slight inaccuracy was only out by a factor of 100. I'm sure everybody who made fun of Diane Abbott for fudging her figures is now going to make fun of Gove for the next 10 years too x
— Laura Kuenssberg Translator (@BBCLauraKT) March 13, 2022
Here are a few more of the best responses.
1.
Michael Gove mixing up whether 300K visas have been given to Ukrainians or 3K but tbf he was briefed by Priti Patel
— dave ❄️ 🥕 🧻 (@davemacladd) March 13, 2022
2.
What a rookie mistake, when he could just have said "innumerable." https://t.co/94CYqtCuXv
— Joanne Harris (@Joannechocolat) March 13, 2022
3.
Michael Gove showing that he is to numbers what Dominic Raab is to words.#Bullshit https://t.co/CmhxF9OAjC
— Sir Ziggy (for services to eating guinea pig shit) (@Karenlovecheese) March 13, 2022
4.
"Dad, can I have 50p?"
"30p? What do you want with 20p?" https://t.co/NpcE902Gk9— James Aithie 🏴 (@JamesAithie) March 13, 2022
5.
Excellent news – according to government minister Michael Gove the UK has issued 300,000 visas to Ukrainian refugees…
Until he’s asked to confirm that number and it turns out it’s 3000 visas; 0.01% of what he’d just said.pic.twitter.com/mD5UjphVL7— Larry the Cat (@Number10cat) March 13, 2022
6.
How the Evening Standard reports Michael Gove messing up on numbers – How it reports Diane Abbott messing up on numbers pic.twitter.com/C47fxzvvXF
— Terry Hathaway (@Terry_Hathaway) March 13, 2022
7.
This won’t become a famous gaffe like Diane Abbott’s numbers mistake though will it? The mind boggles as to why… https://t.co/vRv6zBxg5j
— jack rem x (@jackremmington) March 13, 2022
8.
Dearie me. Michael Gove, a government minister, got his sums atrociously wrong.
This is going to make huge headlines! The press will slaughter him! He'll be mercilessly mocked for the next five years!
<stares in Diane Abbott> https://t.co/6Fim8bG2BA
— Lorna_TVeditor (@Lorna_TVeditor) March 13, 2022
9.
I'm just wondering whether our fictional 40 new hospitals could have coped with the fictional 300,000 refugees? https://t.co/LhFCFNZgkp
— Michael🌱 Ⓥ #FBPE.🇺🇦 (@changed_gear) March 13, 2022
While it looks like Gove’s original number was 100 times too large, we don’t have official figures.
But is it even 3k? How can we know what is true, frankly? https://t.co/Dl07pd52QL
— Jessica Simor QC (@JMPSimor) March 13, 2022
As if Michael Gove would lie.
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Source Haggis_UK Image Screengrab