Fashion is hardly top of the agenda on election night - but an 'unbelievable' hat appeared to steal the show. A returning officer who declared the results of four Northumberland counts on TV captured people's imaginations with her eye-catching headwear. Lucia Bridgeman, the High Sheriff of Northumberland, appeared on screens twice, first to declare the second result of the night, and then to announce another Labour win.
BBC presenter Laura Kuenssberg told viewers: "The returning officer with an incredible hat is back at the lectern." But the journalist wasn't the only one to spot the statement hat, as social media users became obsessed on site X, formerly Twitter , with the Blyth returning officer and her 'unbelievable hat game'. One person wrote: "Hat of the night in Blyth", while another said: "Blyth, that is one HELL of a hat.
You go, girl." A third user shared: "Hat Of The Night Award goes to the Blyth & Ashington returning officer Lucia Bridgeman", and a fourth jokingly said: "Blyth returning officer and her hat emerging as the early main characters of the evening." Many made comparisons to Mike Myers' 1960s comedy character Austin Powers and quoted catchphrases 'Groovy, baby' and 'Shagadelic' alongside screenshots of Ms Bridgeman on TV.
There were also lighthearted references made to Mary Poppins and the Quaker Oats company's Quaker Man logo on cereal boxes. Speaking to the BBC about the unexpected fashion moment, Ms Bridgeman explained she was sorting the role's tradit.
