Dame Priti Patel chose to add congratulating celebrities on the births of their babies to her duties as an MP on Wednesday, sharing a bizarre post about Olly Murs’ new bundle of joy.
The former Health Secretary didn’t waste time, sending a message to singer Olly, 39, and his 31-year-old wife Amelia just an hour after they announced the birth of their new daughter, Madison.
Unsurprisingly, this did not go unnoticed by people on social media, who called the move ‘cringeworthy’ and accused the MP of ‘begging for clout’.
‘Sending my best wishes and congratulations to Witham’s most famous resident @ollymurs and his wife on the joyous birth of their baby daughter,’ Dame Priti began her tweet on X, referencing her Essex constituency, where she has served as MP since 2010.
‘I am sure she won’t be a ‘troublemaker’ like her dad!’ she added, attempting a joke around former The Voice UK coach Olly’s hit track of the same name.
Alongside the message, she shared a rather random picture of herself and Olly awkwardly having a chat in a park, accompanied by a smiling police officer. As you do… obviously.
Dame Priti wore a blue quilted jacket and sunglasses for the occasion, with a slightly blank expression, while new father Olly, who is currently on tour, wore a green cargo jacket and trousers, one hand in his pocket.
‘I doubt he’d thank you for this,’ responded social media user Paul bluntly underneath, while Benedict posted: ‘Out of all the cringeworthy tweets by MPs this has to be one of the worst. We know one of your team will have had to explain to you who Olly Murs was.’
‘Lol what a weird picture,’ commented @Disc0ball5, no doubt echoing many people’s thoughts, while @spenny_UK added: ‘Not a Tweet (yes, still calling them that) I expected to see today.’
‘How to spoil his day,’ quipped user @greyfoxdave of Dame Priti’s mention of the Dance with Me Tonight hitmaker.
‘I didn’t know it wasn’t almost possible to die from cringing… until now,’ announced Michael Chambers.
Olly announced the news on Wednesday, posting a photo of himself hand in hand with Amelia and holding his daughter in a baby carrier.
‘Our mini murs has arrived 🩷 Madison we love you so much already x,’ he shared in the caption.
They were inundated with messages of congratulations on Instagram, with Mark Wright commenting: ‘Buzzing for you both guys. Love yas x’
‘Congratulations. Sending you all so much love❤️❤️❤️,’ added Craig David, while Joe Wicks – aka The Body Coach, wrote: Wonderful news ❤️ congratulations guys
The couple married in July 2023, and Olly announced their pregnancy on Instagram to his 4.7 million followers in December of last year.
‘Baby Murs due 2024,’ the couple captioned their announcement, which showed the former X Factor star pointing at his wife’s swelling belly with obvious enthusiasm.
