Betting firm Paddy Power has been forced to axe Boris Johnson from appearing in its upcoming Euro 2024 promotional campaign following a staff backlash.
First reported in The New York Times, the Irish firm’s hand was forced after staff were allegedly “uncomfortable promoting a figure as divisive as [Boris] Johnson”.
Although Johnson had been signed up by Paddy Power since early May according to The Sun, the former Prime Minister was dropped altogether as the gambling outfit’s staff also expressed concerns about how the ad poked fun at Brexit, “an issue that polarised the country and damaged relationships with countries across the Continent”.
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The US paper also claimed that the film’s script included a line for Johnson saying: “I told you I would get us back in Europe”.
So far, neither Paddy Power, or the creative agency behind the ad, BBH have commented.
Confirming that the campaign was potentially in development, a Paddy Power statement read: “We have been speaking to Boris Johnson’s team about a number of opportunities, one of which was an idea for a cameo role in a TV advert. We remain hopeful of working together in the near future.”
This isn’t the first time the maverick brand has courted controversy, with a 2014 ad offering punters their money back if convicted murderer and athlete Oscar Pistorius walked free from his murder trial.
