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Prankster hands British PM unemployment notice
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In this photo, Britain's Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party Theresa May, makes a statement outside 10 Downing Street in central London on June 9, 2017. (AFP/Justin Tallis)
B
ritish Prime Minister Theresa May's speech at her Conservative Party's annual conference on Wednesday was interrupted by a serial prankster handing her an unemployment notice -- and then by her own repeated coughing.
Comedian Lee Nelson, whose real name is Simon Brodkin, walked up to the stage and gave May the form, known in Britain by its reference code P45.
Protester interrupts Theresa May's keynote speech by handing her a P45 #CPC17 https://t.co/Cv0CO1Yx9h pic.twitter.com/C1LNTFHrHl
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) October 4, 2017
He claimed Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who has clashed with May over Brexit, told him to do it.
"Boris said in one of those corridor meetings: 'Give Theresa this'. It was a P45 of course, from Boris," he told reporters as he was escorted from the conference centre in Manchester, northwest England.
"Hi Boris Johnson, I gave Theresa her P45 just like you asked," he later wrote on Twitter.
Hi @BorisJohnson, I gave Theresa her P45 just like you asked. pic.twitter.com/gzW0UluDMv
— Simon Brodkin (@simonbrodkin) October 4, 2017
Delegates chanted "Out! Out!" as he was ushered away and there were big cheers when he left the auditorium.
Brodkin has a track record of pulling off such stunts.
He once threw a pile of fake dollars at the then world football chief Sepp Blatter during a press conference.
If it was Brodkin/Nelson (& apologies to him if it was not) he has form. Was there for this Blatter stunt https://t.co/7ZNMSYMCNG
— Paul Kelso (@pkelso) October 4, 2017
May seemed unruffled by the interruption, which came just as she was turning to speak about the opposition Labour leader.
"I was about to talk about someone I want to give a P45 to: Jeremy Corbyn," she said to a standing ovation.
May's speech was later repeatedly halted by coughing fits, for which finance minister Philip Hammond gave her a sweet.
