The hashtag #PleaseLeaveMyTown became the top Twitter trend in the U.K. on Thursday evening after Boris Johnson was confronted in Yorkshire.
The Prime Minister was setting the scene for a “people versus Parliament" election strategy when BBC footage caught the moment a member of the public shook his hand and said: “Please leave my town."
Johnson promptly replied: “I will very soon" – the clip has since been shared widely on social media earning hundreds of thousands of views.
“Please leave my town.” “I will, very soon.” https://t.co/3gqW2SwqMi— Alex Andreou (@Alex Andreou) 1567704633.0
The man in the video was hailed as a British hero for coining the phrase.
I feel #PleaseLeaveMyTown is the Johnson hashtag we’ve been waiting for.— Alex Andreou (@Alex Andreou) 1567704826.0
@Reachingbroom @femsocialist @sturdyAlex Write it on a bus and drive it round after him.— shteev (@shteev) 1567706057.0
@sturdyAlex Please could this gentleman step forward? He deserves an applause. https://t.co/Bs5R0X95xb— Laura #Rejoiner #NotMovingOn #FBPE #Facciamorete (@Laura #Rejoiner #NotMovingOn #FBPE #Facciamorete) 1567712134.0
Several Labour MPs used the hashtag to share the video, with Labour MP and shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon tweeting: “When two worlds collide – straight talking Yorkshire meets Bullingdon bluster! #PleaseLeaveMyTown."
When two worlds collide - straight talking Yorkshire meets Bullingdon bluster! #PleaseLeaveMyTown https://t.co/zyxq1MLpyN— Richard Burgon MP (@Richard Burgon MP) 1567714397.0
Labour MP for Liverpool Walton Dan Carden meanwhile tweeted: “This is what happens when Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson actually comes face to face with “the people" he claims to speak for."
This is what happens when Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson actually comes face to face with “the people” he claim… https://t.co/5MrP5efiB2— Dan Carden MP (@Dan Carden MP) 1567711055.0
The viral exchange rounded off another torrid day for Johnson as his brother quit the Government, he was accused of using police officers in a “political stunt," and his Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg was criticized by England's chief medical officer.