A clip of Theresa May playing pool with the Italian prime minister has been posted on social media, which includes her chief advisor explaining to her how to play the game.
As the PM attended an EU-League of Arab States summit in Egypt, rumours started to emerge of a face-off on the green baize with her Italian counterpart, Giuseppe Conte. It’s all set against the backdrop of May’s struggles to get her Brexit deal through parliament.
But what could have been an apocryphal tale was swiftly confirmed on Conte’s Instagram and Twitter accounts with the teaser: “Let’s play pool.”
In the footage, the British Prime Minister admits she’ll be “hopeless” as she’s handed the cue. “You’ll have to show me how,” she adds, unsure of the mechanics of the game.
Conte lets May onto the table after failing to pocket. Clearly hoping to help his boss while she’s caught in a tricky situation, Gavin Barwell, her chief of staff, shows her how to use her hand as a bridge and how to hold the cue.
“Put your thumb and finger like that,” he suggests. Sadly, the video cuts out just after she hits the cue ball, so we’ll probably never know if she’s a natural.