Anybody home?
The UK’s prime minister and his Dutch counterpart were forced to awkwardly fumble in front of photographers Thursday when staff accidentally locked them outside the politician’s headquarters.
Hilarious footage of the incident shows Rishi Sunak walking out of his residence at 10 Downing St. in London to welcome Mark Rutte, the prime minister of the Netherlands.
The massive black door adorned with an enormous holiday wreath swiftly shuts behind Sunak, leaving the conservative leader out in the cold — literally.
The unwitting politicians exchange niceties on the doorstep and pose for handshake shots before turning to move their discussion inside, only to find the door locked.
Sunak and Ruute continued chatting uncomfortably angled toward the building as they waited for the custodian to open the door, with the reporters seizing on the opportunity to call out to the pair to answer more questions.
Sunak, 43, can be seen pushing against the door to no avail.
The two men then swap places on the doorstep to look into two lower-level windows in an apparent attempt to catch someone’s attention on the inside, as the press’ cameras continue to snap.
Finally, the door swings open and the men step inside, with the 56-year-old Rutte offering the media crowd a giant smile and wave before following Sunak.
The meeting between the two leaders had been routine, with Rutte stating they had confirmed their enduring support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian invaders.
“Naturally we also talked about the alarming situation in Israel and the Palestinian Territories,” the Dutch prime minister wrote on X.
The awkward encounter came just hours after Sunak proclaimed he would “do what is necessary” to revive a blocked deal to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda.
He said he unveiled a new bill that would allow the UK to follow through with an April 2022 deal it made with Rwanda under which migrants who cross the English Channel would be sent to Rwanda, where their asylum claims would be processed and, if successful, they would stay.
The UK government argues the deportations will discourage others from making the risky sea crossing and break the business model of people-smuggling gangs.
With Post wires