The Conversation (0)
Politics
Elaine McCallig
Jan 14, 2022
A video of Boris Johnson dancing with a woman holding a lightsaber has resurfaced amid the latest party scandal.
The clip, showing the prime minister throwing some questionable shapes to Lionel Richie’s All Night Long, has been doing the rounds on social media after it emerged that Downing Street staff were invited to a “bring your own booze” gathering in May 2020.
The prime minister apologised for attending, claiming he thought it was a “work event”.
Although his apology sparked its fair share of memes in and of itself, what’s really captured social media’s attention in the last few days has been the video of Johnson giving it socks on the dancefloor.
One of the clips of Johnson dancing has racked up 1.9 million views, while another has received 740,000.
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Social media enjoyed the video, but it left people feeling a little confused, too.
On Instagram, one commenter joked: “Is this the basement of No 10?”
Another simply commented: “Work meeting”.
One Twitter user commented: “Seen that video of Boris Johnson dancing with the light saber lady too many times now. And by too many times I mean once.”
Politics reporter Henry Dyer suggests that the footage could have been taken during a City Hall Christmas party during Johnson’s days as mayor.
It appears the lightsaber was a gift from Lucas Films, according to Johnson’s gift registry from June 2013.
He previously told Reuters in 2019 that he identifies with “the guy with the lightsaber” from the Star Wars films, and said it was manufactured in his constituency, South Ruislip.
Speaking about receiving a lightsaber - presumably, the same one featured in the clip - from Count Dooku actor Christopher Lee, the now-prime minister revealed he kept it in his Westminster office.
We wonder if he still has it (and dances with it) today…