Broadcasters have been urged to "do a lot more to pay attention" when identifying MPs after Abena Oppong-Asare hit out following the latest in a series of errors over the names of black MPs.

Parliament's official online TV channel wrongly attributed a question put by Ms Oppong-Asare as being from another black woman in parliament during an urgent debate on the Jamaica deportations.

Labour MP for Erith and Thamesmead raised the issue with the deputy speaker Nigel Evans, calling the mistake "unacceptable."

 

 

This comes after three British media outlets were left embarrassed and facing accusations of racism after they mislabelled a series of photos of female black Labour MPs.

Ms Oppong-Asare was speaking in parliament and asked a Home Office minister why some people who had lived in the UK since childhood and had committed minor crimes were being deported to Jamaica.

She said: "One of the individuals facing deportation tomorrow came to the UK aged five. He committed a crime aged 17 and did the time many, many years ago. Is it fair to punish people for mistakes they have already paid for?"

The mistake was only corrected after the MP was alerted to the mistake by people following on social media.

"On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. It has come to my attention that I have again been mistaken for another black MP — this time on parliamentary TV. My name is Abena Oppong-Asare. I would like to know what you are going to do about this, because it is unacceptable."

Mr Evans replied: "I think the honourable lady has made her point quite rightly.

"I'm sure that broadcasters and others will take note and I hope that they do a lot more to pay attention to make sure that people are properly identified in this House."

Last week, the BBC was criticised after it mistook Labour MP Marsha de Cordova (Battersea) for Labour's shadow equalities minister, Dawn Butler.

Following the error, BBC Parliament tweeted: "We sincerely apologise for this mistake. Sometimes we incorrectly identify MPs at the moment when they stand to speak. This error was immediately corrected on screen."

Speaking on the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme on Monday, Ms de Cordova said: "It was really disappointing and quite upsetting, because obviously I'm a woman in my own right and I just felt as though as an individual, I'm visible, I'm here and it almost felt as though labelling me as my friend and colleague, Dawn, just felt as though they've just kind of categorised us all as one grouping."

 

 

Also speaking on the programme, Ms Butler added: "I feel a sense of responsibility. I mean I first came into Parliament in 2005 and people couldn't tell myself apart from Diane Abbott, so I get being called Diane Abbott all the time.

"I just think over a decade later, you know when black women like Marsha or Bell, you know African-Caribbean women are coming up, they have to work so hard that they deserve to be recognised for who they are."

In reporting on the error made by the BBC, the Evening Standard used a picture of Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Streatham) - mistaking her for Ms de Cordova.

Asked about the error, Ms Ribeiro-Addy said: "It's actually quite disrespectful I think. I mean, I'm a new MP, if nobody knows who I am that's absolutely fine but Dawn and Marsha have been MPs for some time and they've had portfolios, they've had a lot of very important things to say, I would expect people to know exactly who they are.

"There are a number of white male MPs in Parliament - some of them even have the same name or similar sounding names - and it's very rare for them to get mixed up."