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British journalist Rachel Johnson has apologised for a controversial tweet following the State's landmark abortion referendum.
In the now-deleted tweet, Johnson, the sister of British foreign secretary Boris Johnson, commended Sky News on its coverage of the vote, praising it for helping "comprehension (in mainland UK) by speaking in clear English and not Gaelic throughout".
The tweet led to an immediate outcry on social media, with many taking issue with the reference to “mainland UK” and expressing confusion over what she meant by her objection to the use of “Gaelic”.
I made a moronic reference to "Gaelic" in my tweet about TV coverage of the Irish abortion referendum yesterday and Twitter has rightly pointed out in how many ways I fecked up in using that word. Sorry.
— Rachel Johnson (@RachelSJohnson) May 27, 2018
seems the tweet has been deleted without comment! here it is for posterity, in case Rachel Johnson ever tries to judge another literary prize while my fenianself is still living pic.twitter.com/U3URizdC2R
— Sally Rooney (@sallyrooney) May 27, 2018On Monday, Johnson issued an apology on Twitter, saying: “I made a moronic reference to ‘Gaelic’ in my tweet about TV coverage of the Irish abortion referendum yesterday and Twitter has rightly pointed out in how many ways I fecked up in using that word. Sorry.”
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Johnson is a frequent contributor to the Sky News debate programme The Pledge. Last January she appeared in Celebrity Big Brother, where she was voted out second.