After it was revealed on Wednesday that Tory MP Nicky Morgan had pulled out of Have I Got News for You at the last minute due to 'unforeseen cirsumstances', we were left wondering who would be replacing her on the panel.

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But it’s turned out to be a case of what, not who, as these pictures show Paul Merton being joined on the satirical panel show by a handbag. With a microphone on.

But this is not just any handbag. It’s a Mulberry Bayswater bag – the same (pricey) one that Morgan was pictured with after she called out PM Theresa May for wearing a pair of £995 trousers in a photoshoot for the Sunday Times.

It soon transpired that Morgan herself owned a designer bag that comes in at £950. And now, HIGNFY producers have got the same handbag make and model to stand-in on the episode, presented by Gary Lineker.

It’s not the first time the show’s pulled such a stunt. In 1993, a tub of lard was credited as The Rt. Hon. Tub of Lard and sat on Paul Mertin’s team when Roy Hattersley cancelled his appearance on the programme at the last minute.

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This episode of Have I Got News for You will air on Friday 16th December at 9pm on BBC1.

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