Felicity Mercer would have been in for a shock if – for some reason – she scrolled through Pink News last night. Nestled in this story on Westminster reforms to the Equality Act was a surprising piece of personal news from her husband:

“Johnny Mercer, Plymouth’s first gay MP, doubled down on his support for the trans community in his contribution to the Equality Act debate, pointing out that a change could have potentially negative impacts on intersex people and urged parliament to focus more on healthcare than who uses a toilet.”

It turns out Pink News didn’t mean to out Mercer as the newest member of the LGBTQIA+ community – they were actually talking about Luke Pollard. The story has since been quietly adjusted, although the original text has been archived for posterity. Felicity weighed in this afternoon: “I’ve had my suspicions for a long time. My family would like to request privacy over this difficult time. It has been a shock but ultimately only wish for his happiness…”