Boris Johnson defends ‘rambling’ Peppa Pig speech

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaking during the CBI annual conference, at the Port of Tyne, in South Shields (Owen Humphreys/PA)

Boris Johnson stumbled through a major speech in which he lost his place in his notes, talked about a day trip to a Peppa Pig theme park and imitated a car, before insisting: “I thought it went over well.”

The British Prime Minister’s keynote address to business leaders saw him struggle with his papers, at one point muttering “blast it” before  shuffling sheets and begging the audience to “forgive me” as he tried to find the right point to resume.