BBC News team tricked by April Fools' Day story

Viewers of BBC Breakfast were left dumbfounded after presenters of the show appeared to treat an April Fools' article written by The Observer as a genuine news story.

Babita Sharma and Roger Johnson covered a story by the newspaper which jokingly claimed that Brexit-themed emojis were to be released by an Italian technology firm.

The parody piece presented two emojis representative of both sides of the debate: a cigar chomping canine known as Brexit Bulldog was drafted up to represent Leave supporters, while a star-eyed, beret-wearing smiley face was presented as the emoji of choice for remain supporters.

Roger Johnson and Babita Sharma were both tricked by the fake news article (Photo: BBC)

According to the article, MPs had labelled the emojis as "divisive and dangerous".

Johnson took the discussion further noting that there was no regulatory board for the use of emojis.

"There isn’t an official body that approes them and agrees them."

Sharma on the other hand expressed surprise that tariffs may be levelled against emoji creators.

'Spreading fake news'

Viewers of the breakfast show were quick to point out the error.

Twitter user Richard Deb was among the first viewers to spot the mistake.