Home Office minister Chris Philp faced laughter from the BBC Question Time audience after appearing to confuse Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The incident occurred when an audience member from the DRC questioned the government's new law allowing deportation of some asylum seekers to Rwanda.
The audience member noted recent conflict between the DRC and Rwanda, asking whether his family from Goma, a city on the border, would be sent to Rwanda. Mr Philp initially replied that there was an exclusion for people from Rwanda, but when challenged that his parents were not Rwandan, he asked: 'Rwanda is a different country to Congo, isn't it?'
The comment sparked laughter, with Labour's Wes Streeting visibly reacting. Mr Philp later cited a clause in the legislation preventing deportation if there is a risk of 'serious and irreversible harm'. An ally later claimed the minister was posing a rhetorical question.
Labour's Stephen Kinnock criticised the government for sending £576m to a country they 'couldn't even pick out on a map', while the Liberal Democrats' Sarah Olney said it showed this was 'not a serious government'.
