British prime minister Theresa May ‘danced’ her way on stage — to the the tune of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” — before delivering the keynote speech to her party’s annual conference on Wednesday.
May’s ABBA dancing moves quickly went viral, and the videos were shared on social media with added music — and commentary.
Fresh from dancing her way on stage, during her speech May warned EU leaders that Britain was not afraid to leave the bloc without a separation deal, and told the audience that internal party disunity risked the Brexit process being reversed.
The annual Conservative Party conference was characterized this year by internal party disagreements over the May government’s plan for Brexit. On Tuesday, former foreign secretary Boris Johnson, widely seen as May’s main rival for the party leadership, delivered a speech at a counter-programmed event that saw three-hour queues. There, Johnson criticized May’s Brexit plan. May later said his speech made her “cross.” In what some saw as an attempt to steal some of Johnson’s limelight, the government shifted an announcement on post-Brexit immigration policy, originally scheduled for May’s Wednesday speech, to just before Johnson’s.
May dancing onto the stage was seen by some as another attempt to distract attention.
For some, it was a reminder of May’s August trip to Africa, where the prime minister twice joined dancing schoolchildren.
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Write to Billy Perrigo at billy.perrigo@time.com