Independent Deputy Mick Wallace has been forced to apologize after he was caught on a live microphone labeling a member of the Government Miss Piggy in the Irish parliament chambers.

Wallace had to call Fine Gael deputy Mary Mitchell-O’Connor after live microphones in the chambers caught him making the remark to fellow independents Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan and Shane Ross.

Microphones are normally switched off during votes but a blogger realized that Wallace had been caught making the remark on air after one of the recording devices was left running.

Wednesday’s papers report that Wallace can be heard saying that ‘Miss Piggy’ had ‘toned down a bit’. Claims were then made that Mitchell-O’Connor should ‘be banned from wearing pink’.

Deputies Flanagan and Ross then join in and it becomes clear they are talking about Mary Mitchell O’Connor, the Fine Gael deputy for Dun Laoghaire.

Wallace has since apologized to Mitchell O’Connor for any offence caused by calling her Miss Piggy.

Speaking to Irish radio, he said: “I was completely out of order in the comments made. It was completely my fault and my fellow Independent Deputies Shane Ross and Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan had nothing to do with it.

“It was clearly in bad taste and I had no right to be passing comment like that. I rang Mary this morning and apologized.”