A former editor of a major tabloid and current BBC presenter has faced criticism after mistakenly conflating two black Conservative politicians in a social media post. David Yelland posted comments about Tory MP James Cleverly’s recent decision to step down from the front bench to run for London mayor, incorrectly referring to him as “Liz Truss’ Brexit Chancellor.” The actual chancellor during Truss’s brief tenure as prime minister in 2022 was Kwasi Kwarteng.

The confusion was quickly highlighted on the social media platform X, where users pointed out that Mr Cleverly, who resigned as Tory housing spokesman on Sunday, had never held the chancellorship. Instead, he served as foreign secretary at the time. Mr Cleverly himself responded directly to Mr Yelland’s post, writing, “David, I’m the other black one,” underscoring the mix-up between the two politicians.

Mr Yelland acknowledged making a “stupid error” but maintained that he had confused the two men’s job titles rather than the individuals themselves. He explained that he intended to refer to Mr Cleverly as foreign secretary but mistakenly used the title chancellor. Following the correction, Mr Yelland apologized for the oversight but declined to offer a full apology for the implication that he had confused the two MPs personally.

The incident unfolded after Mr Yelland shared an article from the Daily Mail reporting Mr Cleverly’s mayoral campaign launch, which included criticism of Prime Minister Andy Burnham, whom Mr Cleverly accused of being “anti-London.” In his accompanying commentary, Mr Yelland characterized the messaging as “abysmal PR” and “ill-judged,” while incorrectly labeling Cleverly as Truss’s “Brexit Chancellor for ten seconds.” Social media users challenged this statement, noting that Mr Cleverly’s tenure as foreign secretary lasted over a year and that Britain had officially left the European Union in 2020, making the Brexit reference outdated.

Several commentators highlighted the error, with some attributing the mistake to an implicit bias. For example, Chris Rose, a black member of Reform UK, pointed out the confusion explicitly, while Talk TV host Mark Dolan suggested the mix-up might reflect broader issues linked to identity politics.

Mr Kwarteng’s brief period as chancellor coincided with Liz Truss’s short-lived premiership and the controversial mini-Budget that precipitated her resignation. Mr Cleverly’s political career is distinct, and his current focus is on his campaign to become London mayor following his resignation from government frontbench roles.

The episode has drawn attention to the challenges and sensitivities involved in political commentary, particularly in relation to public figures’ identities and roles.