UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing renewed criticism over his handling of Brexit, sparked by a weird little video and a jumbo packet of Tim Tams.
“Fucking Tim Tams,” one commenter wrote. “Jesus Christ. We are so fucking fucked.”
Quick recap: Since the UK’s remarkable separation from the European Union (EU), the Brits have been scrambling to secure new free trade agreements with other international partners.
It’s been a wild time, and wildly expensive for the UK. Things will get really spicy when the Brexit ‘transition period’ ends in December, so the Brits are real keen to iron out new deals with non-EU nations.
So, nations like Australia.
Taking to social media overnight, Johnson celebrated new free trade agreement talks. He also highlighted our economic relationship by big-upping Aussie products.
“I want a world in which we send you Marmite, and you send us Vegemite,” he said.
“We send you Penguins, and you send us, with reduced tariffs, these wonderful Arnott’s Tim Tams,” he added, holding a packet aloft.
There are few countries in the world who share a closer friendship than Australia and the UK.
Now, as an independent trading nation for the first time in decades, we have the opportunity to turn our shared history and friendship into a world-leading free trade agreement. 🇬🇧🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/PPWESs3aHq
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) June 17, 2020
While the video may have passed as another piece of naff politicking, critics have pointed out that any potential deal between Australia is unlikely to fill the economic hole left by Brexit – no matter how many crates of “absolutely delicious Australian wine” we send their way.
I don’t want to alarm anybody but the man charged with getting us out of the worst recession in centuries is currently using his office to flog the chocolate malty flavour of Arnott’s Tim Tams pic.twitter.com/vyw9y3cabB
— James Felton (@JimMFelton) June 17, 2020
Seriously? Wine, boomerangs, Penguins, Marmite, Vegemite and Arnott’s Tim Tams?
Well, that should add about … {checks notes} …. 0.00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000027% to our GDP
Well worth breaking European trade for. 👌pic.twitter.com/ksIGEWFeMk
— Dr Mike Galsworthy (@mikegalsworthy) June 17, 2020
https://twitter.com/izzy1719/status/1273376800526274565
https://twitter.com/LennieMerrick1/status/1273175290186006528
Boris and the great Tim Tam speech of 2020 is just the biggest f@€k you to the entirety of the U.K. pic.twitter.com/DTHBVhFj9T
— Ytsrik (@KirstyMullan2) June 17, 2020
Think the Boris w/ Tim Tams thing might be what has finally broken me beyond repair. What is a Tim Tam? Why the fuck is Boris promoting it? Are we sure this isn’t a deep fake? Why have I not stopped screaming? Why is my brain leaking out my nose? What is love baby don’t hurt me?
— Dani Craig (@Giganticqueer) June 17, 2020
Both sides of the trade talks are optimistic a deal will be settled by the end of the year, and it may even include some changes to visa requirements for young Aussies visiting the UK.
Until then, we’re left with a strange piece of political advertising, and some questionable marketing for Arnott’s.
