‘Love Actually’ Leo hits cringey note at Downing Street

Even if Leo Varadkar were to disclose he was a secret Duran Duran fan it would not be as cringey as his comments in Downing Street yesterday.

With the enthusiasm of a ten-year-old schoolboy he said it was a "thrill" to visit Number 10 for the first time and mentioned the bit in Love Actually where Hugh Grant danced down the stairs.

Then, typical Leo, he said Love Actually “was not actually filmed here so I did not get a chance to see the stairs”.

For those who were fortunate enough not to see Love Actually, it is a dreary toffee-nosed, slack-jawed British romcom where ultra-posh and modern prime minister Hugh Grant falls in love with a modern-day Eliza Doolittle in the shape of Martine McCutcheon, who made her name in EastEnders.

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It was Leo’s first visit abroad as Taoiseach, and those throwaway comments showed he might have been a mite overawed by the occasion. You could not imagine his contemporary heroes like Justin or Emmanuel doing it. Hey, didn’t Macron practically get involved in an arm-wrestling match with The Donald when they shook hands for the first time.

Anyway, he will get a fool’s pardon for his first visit and learn that sometimes “is binn béal ina thost” (another useful Irish phrase for his impressively growing vocabulary).

Once the offending reference was made, it was inevitable all the attention would be on a prime minister who doesn’t even exist, as opposed to one who does . . . for the moment at least.

Following a howler of a month, Theresa May must have been very much relieved to be back in more familiar political terrain.

In fact, her comments on Ireland - which were under-reported - were as positive and forceful as they have been. She referenced more than €50 billion of trade between both countries each year and the "complex supply chains that benefit both our countries".

Her key lines were also assertive and unambiguous: 'I am personally committed to ensuring a practical solution that recognises the unique economic, social, cultural and political context of the land Border with Ireland - which so many people pass through every day, and it remains our priority to work closely with the Irish Government to ensure a frictionless and seamless a Border as possible.

"And I made this clear in my letter to Donald Tusk triggering Article 50 and that we want to maintain the Common Travel Area between us to make sure the UK's withdrawal from the EU does not harm the Republic of Ireland," the British prime minister said.

"We also want the reciprocal rights that our citizens enjoy in both countries to continue, including the rights guaranteed under the Belfast Agreement."

It was strong stuff (comparatively) - not quite Hugh Grant but with enough in it to give a new Taoiseach some succour when facing his biggest challenge.

Here is Denis Staunton's report.

At least for the Government, for the first time in almost a week, the attention was no longer on the controversy surrounding Máire Whelan’s appointment to the Court of Appeal.

That respite will be short-lived as the Opposition are sure to go on the attack in a big way today.

Our reports on the issue are here and here.