Bojo ‘empty chaired’ at humiliating press conference as UK PM escapes noisy protests

Boris Johnson was dealt a brutal slapdown by Luxembourg’s PM Xavier Bettel at a news conference he failed to turn up to, after the UK leader became the target of fiery protests.

Johnson was scheduled to take part in a joint news conference in Luxembourg with Bettel to give an update on Brexit negotiations following meetings with EU officials, including President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker.

However, he left Bettel all on his own with the assembled media, which in hindsight, probably wasn’t the wisest thing for Britain’s prime minister to do. It essentially gave the Luxembourg PM free rein to lay the blame of the seemingly never-ending Brexit nightmare on his absent counterpart.

He warned Johnson that people in Britain and the EU need clarity, insisting “You can’t hold their future hostage for party political gains.”

A furious and ostensibly frustrated Bettel explained that he had heard a lot about alternatives to the contentious Irish ‘backstop,’ but that he had not “read a lot” about practical solutions.

I repeat, this Brexit, it’s not my choice… don’t put the blame on us because now they don’t know how to get out of this… situation they put themselves in. It’s not my choice!

On Sunday, Johnson compared himself to the Incredible Hulk because he promised that he would break out of the European Union’s “manacles” if no agreement is struck by October 31.

The claim came back to haunt him on Monday after his quick exit, with the Telegraph journalist Michael Deacon suggesting the reality could not be more different.

Commenting on events in Luxembourg, Johnson gave a somewhat tongue-in-cheek response, saying that he had been given a “lively” reception. He added that he thought the UK and EU had “just the right amount of time” to secure a deal by the end of October.

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