The high-profile ad’s script had been approved, a star had been hired and the creative team at Irish sports betting company Paddy Power were confident they had a win ahead of a summer of sport.
Even with his back turned, and in front of a big announcement, the man wearing the England No. 10 football shirt will be instantly recognisable for his physique and shock of bright hair: Boris Johnson.
“I told you I’d bring us back to Europe,” the script instructed Johnson to say – a flippant and untrue joke from a man who helped lead the Brexit movement that led to Britain’s departure from the European Union.
But the ad will never air.
Dublin-based Paddy Power was forced to pull the video, which was meant to be the centrepiece of an advertising campaign ahead of a busy summer including the European football championships and the Paris Olympics, after a backlash from UK staff.
The decision was confirmed by two people familiar with the campaign and its demise, who said a script for the ad was provided to Mr. Johnson. A spokesman for Mr. Johnson did not respond to a request for comment.
The people asked not to be identified discussing the company’s internal decisions and the sensitivity of aligning it with Johnson, who led his Conservative Party to a majority in the 2019 general election but whose term as prime minister ended amid a series of scandals.
Sources said Paddy Power’s UK staff were uncomfortable promoting a divisive figure like Johnson, and were particularly uncomfortable with the use of language mocking Brexit, which has divided the UK and damaged relations with other continental countries.
“We have been in discussions with Boris Johnson’s team about a number of opportunities, one of which was the idea of a cameo in a TV advert,” Paddy Power’s US-based parent company, Flutter Entertainment, said in a statement to The New York Times.
The company confirmed that Johnson’s role in the Euro 2024 campaign, due to be broadcast in the coming weeks, had been cancelled but did not give a reason why.
“We look forward to continuing to work together in the near future,” he added.
British tabloid The Sun on Sunday reported earlier this month that Johnson would lead Paddy Power’s Euro 2024 campaign.
Gambling company Paddy Power, known for its promotional sprees, has never been afraid to push the envelope with its advertising. Its ads often attract a lot of attention, but not all of it is positive. In 2010, a campaign depicting a blind footballer kicking a cat attracted hundreds of complaints. (Paddy Power said the ad “depicts actions so unlikely they are absurd” and the cat was unharmed.)
Two years later, the company paid a nearly $100,000 fine to UEFA on behalf of a Danish soccer player who advertised the brand on his underwear after scoring a goal at the 2012 European Championships. The promotion violated rules that bar players from displaying advertising on any clothing other than their soccer uniforms.
The company apologised in 2020 for using “derogatory and offensive” language after a soccer fan shared a social media video making homophobic comments.
Involving Mr Johnson appears to have been too much for some staff at Paddy Power’s London office.
The former Conservative leader’s partnership with Paddy Power contrasts with some of the government’s positions on gambling. During his time as prime minister, the government called on the English Football Association to end multi-million dollar sponsorship deals with major betting companies.
