Boris Johnson's Hulk Is Knocked Out by Ant-Man
Luxembourg is tiny and its prime minister’s humiliation of Johnson was opportunistic. But the Duchy was still speaking for much of the EU.
Where’s Boris?
Photographer: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/Bloomberg
Never has the surface area of a conference room in Luxembourg caused such a diplomatic row.
Britain’s politicians and media are shouting about a “stitch-up” after a surreal outdoor press conference featured Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel standing next to an empty podium where his British opposite number Boris Johnson was meant to be. The Grand Duchy’s apparent lack of office space big enough to host the world’s media meant the event had to happen outside, but Johnson’s apparent unwillingness to try to speak above the noise of Brexit protesters made that a deal-breaker. The result was the Incredible Hulk (Johnson’s memorable self-description) turning into the Invisible Man, allowing Bettel to steal the show.