MPs were treated to unexpected coverage of the Wimbledon tennis tournament after the Commons television screens switched from politics to sport.

Deputy Speaker Eleanor Laing ordered the screens, which are in place in the Commons to relay MPs’ virtual contributions, to be switched off following the error.

MPs socially distanced in the chamber dissolved into giggles as the surprise sports footage momentarily appeared while Home Office minister Kevin Foster answered Labour’s urgent question urging an update on the EU Settlement Scheme.

Mr Foster said: “I’m not sure why we’ve got Wimbledon on screen but anyway.”

Dame Eleanor intervened saying: “Order, it should just be noted that there is a mistake in the broadcasting, forgive me for laughing, but I’m just pausing the House for a moment because it’s not fair to the minister.

“Can you have this stopped immediately?

“Not fair to the minister to have his audience distracted, but of course nobody would think that Wimbledon was more exciting than what the minister has to say.”

Conservative Peter Bone (Wellingborough) later joked: “What we just saw – a preview of what’s going to happen at five o’clock when people are here for the estimates debate so they could do two things at once.”

England were due to face Germany in the Euro 2020 football tournament later.