16 Sep 2019

Empty podium for Boris Johnson – as he pulls out of Brexit event with Luxembourg’s PM

Boris Johnson abruptly pulled out of a joint press conference with the Luxembourg prime minister Xavier Bettel, amid noisy anti-Brexit protests.

It was the day BoJo went No Show. Boris Johnson, in Luxembourg for talks with EU officials, abruptly pulled out of a joint press conference with the country’s prime minister Xavier Bettel, amid noisy anti-Brexit protests opposite the podiums. Mr Bettel, who heads one of Europe’s smallest countries, promptly upstaged Mr Johnson by going ahead without him, describing Brexit as a “nightmare” for EU citizens. You can’t hold people hostage for party political reasons, he said, and don’t blame us for the mess you made. Mr Johnson is still insisting there is time to agree a Brexit deal.