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Ursula von der Leyen’s sexist sofa shenanigans

Oh dear. After weeks of unedifying rows over Europe’s vaccine procurement disaster, two top Brussels’ officials are now embroiled in a new diplomatic incident. On Tuesday, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president Charles Michel paid a trip to Ankara to meet with Turkish leader President Erdoğan.

Unfortunately the three hour long discussion on issues such as women’s rights got off to a bad start when von der Leyen was denied an armchair beside Erdoğan as the discussions began, being instead confined to a sofa opposite Turkish foreign minister Mevlüt Cavusoglu. A visibly annoyed von der Leyen muttered ‘Ehm’ and gesticulated at the occupied seats, as Michel and Erdoğan made themselves comfortable at the head of the gilded room in the presidential complex.

Of course #Sofagate quickly exploded on Twitter, with MEPs lining up to proclaim their indignation at the perceived sidelining of the continent’s top female Eurocrat. German Green Hannah Neumann declared: ‘Von der Leyen is not the problem. The problem is the two other guys who put her in that position’ while the largest voting bloc the European People’s Party went even further in its denunciations: ‘Someone should be ashamed because of the lack of the proper seat. Women deserve the same recognition as their male colleagues.’

Subsequent briefings have made clear that von der Leyen was not taking the perceived snub sitting down. Her spokesman Eric Mamer voiced the fury of his master on Wednesday at a press conference and that the incident had ‘sharpened her focus’ on the subsequent discussion of equal rights.

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Steerpike
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Steerpike

Steerpike is The Spectator's gossip columnist, serving up the latest tittle tattle from Westminster and beyond. Email tips to steerpike@spectator.co.uk or message @MrSteerpike

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