Hilarious moment online Brexit select committee meeting is interrupted by phone call leaving confused MPs struggling to hear each other
- Committee on Future Relationship with European Union was meeting on Zoom
- Were putting questions to Michael Gove over Britain’s no deal preparations
- Woman’s voice heard when Brexiteer Tory MP Peter Bone tried to ask question
A Zoom video meeting of Parliament’s Brexit select committee was today bizarrely interrupted by a call from an unknown woman.
The Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union was meeting to put questions to minister Michael Gove over Britain’s no deal preparations, which he is in charge of.
On the call was Mr Gove, who was seen seated at a table with officials Jess Glover and Brendan Threlfall, as well as committee chairman Hilary Benn and Brexiteer Tory MP Peter Bone.
But when Mr Bone tried to ask a question, saying ‘Secretary of State, if you’re still there’, a woman could be heard repeatedly saying, ‘hello?’
A Zoom video meeting of Parliament’s Brexit select committee was today bizarrely interrupted by a call from an unknown woman
Mr Gove then appeared to respond to the woman by saying, ‘Hello? We are here. Can you hear us?’
Although Mr Gove, his officials and the other committee members could hear Mr Bone, it appeared he was unable to hear them because he then said, ‘Oh dear, we’ve lost the link.’
With the call appearing to be coming from Mr Bone’s computer, the MP could be seen focusing intently as he apparently tried to end the call.
Mr Benn then interjected by saying, ‘Peter, we can still hear you’, before Mr Gove added, ‘can everyone hear us?’
The Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union was meeting to put questions to minister Michael Gove over Britain’s no deal preparations, which he is in charge of
When Mr Bone tried to ask a question, saying ‘Secretary of State, if you’re still there’, a woman could be heard repeatedly saying, ‘hello?’
After Mr Benn confirmed that he could hear them, the sound from video call application Skype which is played when a call is ended could be heard coming from Mr Bone’s computer.
Apparently in reference to the committee meeting, a member of Mr Bone’s staff could be heard telling him, ‘it’s on Zoom’ before he said, ‘yes, okay’.
He then loudly said, ‘Hello!’ before adding, ‘sorry about that, somehow someone managed to intervene on our call from outside which we don’t want to happen.’
Confirming the suggestion that Mr Bone may have accidentally answered a Skype call, a Parliamentary source told MailOnline: ‘The public sessions are on Zoom but Mr Bone may have had another application on at the same time.’
Mr Bone is one of 12 members of the Brexit committee. There are also seven Labour members and two from the Scottish National Party.
Also on the Zoom call was committee chairman Hilary Benn, pictured above