**Nick Robinson Issues Public Apology After Mispronouncing Jeremy Hunt’s Name**
Veteran BBC broadcaster Nick Robinson found himself issuing a public apology after becoming the third presenter to mistakenly refer to shadow chancellor Jeremy Hunt using the C-word during a live broadcast. The incident occurred during the Today programme, where Robinson, 61, was in conversation with employment minister Alison McGovern, referencing the former chancellor. In his statement, Robinson mentioned, “When the Tories announced £12 billion in welfare cuts, and at the time the Labour Party condemned that, they said that Rishi Sunak and Jeremy C*** had no idea where they’d get the money, you’re going to do exactly the same aren’t you in this Budget?”
Upon realising his mistake, Robinson promptly apologised about 10 minutes later, saying, “The eagle-eared amongst you have just pointed out that I repeated what was known as the Jim Naughtie error up until my last interview in which I mispronounced the name of the former Conservative chancellor, the current shadow chancellor, so can I just apologise to Jeremy Hunt. Again, I’m so sorry.” In an effort to emphasise his recognition of the error, Robinson laid emphasis on the “H” in the former chancellor’s name.
The mispronunciation of Jeremy Hunt’s name has a history that dates back to 2010 when Jim Naughtie famously made the same blunder during his hosting of the Today programme. Naughtie reflected on the incident, recounting, “I was there with lots of bits of paper and someone was shoving headlines in front of me and I said, ‘After the news we’ll be talking to Jeremy C***’… And all I could see behind the glass were arms going up in the air, as in ‘We surrender’.”
Subsequent to the 2010 episode, the mispronunciation became more widespread, even extending to a Sky News broadcast. In 2019, BBC presenter Victoria Derbyshire became the second broadcaster at the BBC to make a similar mistake on her news and current affairs programme. This trend prompted Hunt to urge people to “grow up” and discontinue mispronouncing his name, revealing that the rhyme had been used to taunt him since his school days. Despite the error becoming more common, linguists suggest that it may be a result of broadcasters being aware of past mispronunciations, therefore, inadvertently increasing the likelihood of subsequent mistakes.
The Independent has made efforts to contact the Today programme for comments on the incident.