Paul Nuttall has raised questions about his ability to tell women apart by calling Leanne Wood “Natalie” twice during the ITV Leaders’ Debate, despite being corrected the first time.
The Ukip leader was facing four other party leaders on Thursday and confused Wood, the Plaid Cymru leader, with... someone called Natalie.
Twice.
The first time, he was arguing with Wood, a Remainer, over Brexit’s impact on Wales.
“Natalie,” he began.
“I’m not Natalie, I’m Leanne,” she fired back, prompting audience laughter over Nuttall’s comment about Britain’s trade deficit. (Watch video above).
It’s possible he wasn’t listening as later in the debate he referred to her as Natalie again. (Watch video below).
Nuttall praised the comment “Natalie” made about social care, saying it was “absolutely right”.
“Will you call me Leanne,” Wood said.
“Women’s names. He’s done it twice now,” Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas said after Nuttall corrected himself and apologised.
Nuttall didn’t repeat the error a third time but twice was enough to convince Twitter that “Natalie” was the star of the show.
ITV News’ Daniel Hewitt polled people on who was winning the debate with a clear bias in Natalie’s favour.
Nuttall’s first reference to “Natalie” was early in the two-hour debate but it was immediately identified as the likely highlight of an exchange neither Theresa May nor Jeremy Corbyn opted to attend.
This is how Wood, Lucas and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon reacted following the second blunder.
Nuttall, Wood, Lucas and Sturgeon were left to fight it out alongside Tim Farron.
Nuttall’s gaffe reminded HuffPost UK of the BBC Question Time edition in 2014 when Philip Hammond called future Labour leadership candidate Liz Kendall “Rachel”.
“It’s Liz Kendall, not Rachel Reeves. I know we all look the same,” she replied.