Thérèse Coffey red-faced on her geography over Kigali mix-up during Commons debate

18 January 2024, 09:16

Kigali is the capital of Rwanda. Picture: Parliament/Getty

Thérèse Coffey was left red-faced last night when she told a House of Commons debate that Kigali was a country, despite it being the capital of Rwanda.

The Shadow Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, had given a speech in the House of Commons debate, on a day when MPs voted on the Government’s Rwanda plan.

Responding to the speech in the Commons, Ms Coffey, who has served as deputy prime minister, said she was “astonished” by Ms Cooper’s speech.

“I have to say, I was somewhat astonished by the speech of the Shadow Home Secretary, who can’t even get the name of the country right, talking about Kigali government, when we’re talking about Rwanda,” she told the Commons.

“Respect a country that has a recent living president of the Commonwealth.”

But Ms Cooper had been correct to refer to the ‘government in Kigali’ – which is the capital of Rwanda, not a separate nation.

Ms Cooper, sitting alongside Stephen Kinnock, shadow minister for immigration, was left stunned by Ms Coffey’s mistake.

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Ms Coffey was heavily criticised on social media after the debate, with one person commenting beneath a video of the mistake: “Coffey was deputy PM not long ago & she doesn’t even know the capital of the country her party have staked their political future on. It’s unbelievable”

Another said: “How much more incompetence and denial will it take for Tory voters to see this government as a joke?”

A third added: “I honestly couldn’t believe what I heard.”

LBC has contacted Ms Coffey for a response.