Sides split Johnson quip steals limelight in Berlin

Boris Johnson stole the limelight from Angela Merkel in Berlin yesterday by uttering one of her election slogans in German at his first international press conference.

Standing next to Mrs Merkel in the Chancellery, Mr Johnson said: “We want a deal and we expect a deal and I think we’re going to get one.”

The Prime Minister then broke into halting German and said: “Wir schaffen das!” which means,

“We can manage it”, a phrase which became Mrs Merkel’s slogan during the migrant crisis of 2015.

The German chancellor then rolled her eyes, prompting about 150 aides and journalists to burst out laughing.

Specifically, the slogan was for Mrs Merkel’s open-door refugee policy, when one million immigrants were allowed across the border into Germany, which split the country down the middle.