Jeremy Hunt's awkward photo op blunder where people cringed over rude sign crop

15 March 2023 , 12:00

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Jeremy Hunt today unveiled his first budget as Chancellor (Image: Birmingham Mail)

Jeremy Hunt will today unveil his first full budget as Chancellor, following the Autumn Statement he gave just a few months ago in an attempt to fix the economic chaos caused by former Prime Minister Liz Truss.

All eyes will be on Mr Hunt this afternoon as is expected to announce a boost to childcare with an extra £4 billion going into free childcare for one-and-two-year-olds in England, as well as plans to offer primary school children access to breakfast clubs and extra after-school provision.

Energy bills will also be a hot topic, with Mr Hunt set to confirm the Energy Price Guarantee will stay at £2,500 until June, three months later than originally planned. However, bills will still rise for millions, as the £400 rebate scheme is coming to an end.

The Chancellor will be hoping to get through his speech without too many hiccups, as he hasn't always been that lucky in the past. He was previously caught in an unfortunate situation and found himself at the centre of a slew of jokes after an appearance at a Tory party conference.

Mr Hunt was giving a speech next to a sign with the Tory party's slogan on it (Birmingham Mail)

In October 2016, Mr Hunt - who at the time was the Health Secretary - attended the Tory party conference in Birmingham, and gave a speech to party members in front of a sign displaying the party's slogan at the time, 'A country that works for everyone'.

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But unfortunately for Mr Hunt, one picture that surfaced after the event was taken at an angle that saw his head perfectly cover one letter of the word "country", leaving the perfect opportunity for a rather amusing crop.

The picture was shared on social media by one user who called it "karma", as the image cut off the last part of the word so it looked as though Mr Hunt was standing behind a sign that read "c***".

One person said at the time: "They say 'a picture is worth a thousand words', this one says it all in one!"

As another added: "The stars lined up perfectly in the heavens to make this image possible. Pure truth."

A photo taken from a different angle left people in stitches (@WideEyedSociety/Twitter)

In even more unfortunate news for the Chancellor, that isn't even the first time he's been tied to the offensive word, as his surname is dangerously close to it - and it's even caught newsreaders off-guard in the past.

Last year, ITV's political editor Robert Peston accidentally called Mr Hunt "Jeremy C***" while live on ITV News, as he discussed the Chancellor's planned cuts to public spending.

He said: "That means the hole in the public finances is bigger than it would have been, and Jeremy C***'s - Hunt's - cuts would be more painful."

Zahna Eklund