If you are an MP intent on climbing the ministerial ladder it is probably a good idea if you spell the name of the country you are responsible for correctly.
Alec Shelbrooke, the Tory MP for Elmet and Rothwell and parliamentary aide to the Northern Ireland minister, tweeted on Monday morning that he was "delighted to have followed Mike Penning to Northern Island as his PPS."
The Labour Party press team labelled his lamentable start to the role "gaffe of the day" while others asked which particular 'Northern Island' he had followed Mike Penning too, with suggestions of 'Iceland' and 'Lindisfarne'.
Following his mistake, Shelbrooke tweeted "Dam you auto correct" blaming his iPhone for the mistake.
Presumably the autocorrect function on his phone also caused him to misspell "damn".
Shelbrooke added: "Interesting to note so many retweets over a simple mistake, I think that's the most I've ever had. Just goes to show the level of debate!!!!"
He's is not the only politician to come a cropper on Twitter. Tory MP Aiden Burley was criticised after branding the Olympic opening ceremony "leftie multicultural crap," a comment David Cameron described as "idiotic."
Ed Miliband also caused a Twitter storm after Blockbusters host Bob Holness died, tweeting a tribute to the host of 'Blackbusters.'
