The annual Ed Balls Day celebrations are underway

It’s that time of the year when people on Twitter are once again celebrating ‘Ed Balls Day’.

During the annual social media event, people mark the anniversary of the day when Mr Balls accidentally tweeted his own name.

He was the Shadow Chancellor and the Labour MP for Morley and Outwood on April 28 in 2011, when he was told by an aide to look on Twitter for articles mentioning his name.

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But instead of doing the search, he tweeted his name in error.

He did not delete the tweet when he noticed his error and left it online for all to see. The occasion has been celebrated on the platform every year since by people who use the hashtag #EdBallsDay.

Mr Balls has joined in along the way, retweeting the original tweet, posting variations and even one year baking a cake designed to look like the accidental post.

Last year, he again posted a picture of a cake – one adorned with a number 10 candle, albeit Photoshopped, and being held by the man himself.

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Mr Balls accidentally tweeted his own name in April 2011, when he was the Shadow ChancellorMr Balls accidentally tweeted his own name in April 2011, when he was the Shadow Chancellor
Mr Balls accidentally tweeted his own name in April 2011, when he was the Shadow Chancellor
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Mr Balls lost his seat in 2015 and has since developed a TV career, appearing on Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Best Home Cook, as well as presenting a series of travel documentaries.

He recently ruled himself out of the Wakefield by-election, after reports suggested he was considering a return to politics.

On Twitter, he wrote: “Back from New York to find Wakefield speculation still running. I appreciate all the messages but for removal of any doubt, no-one's spoken to me about it and I've no intention of putting myself forward when the current MP finally resigns!”

The current Tory MP for Wakefield, Imran Ahmad Khan, is due to stand down after he was found guilty earlier this month of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old in 2008 – before he was elected.

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