DAVID Cameron appears to have made another diplomatic gaffe in the presence of the Queen by describing Nigeria and Afghanistan as “possibly the two most corrupt countries in the world”.
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“But this particular president is not corrupt… he’s trying very hard”, the archbishop reportedly said in response to Cameron’s remark.
The British Prime Minister was caught making the comments as he chatted with the British queen at an event to mark her 90th birthday.
Cameron added: “Nigeria and Afghanistan – possibly two of the most corrupt countries in the world”.
The summit is expected to hold on Thursday, with President Buhari, who has been (formerly?) strongly supported by the United Kingdom and other Western countries, billed to attend.
Mr Bercow is also heard making a joke about the summit, quipping: “They are coming at their own expense, one assumes?” There are no sort of closed-door sessions.
To which Mr Cameron responds: “Everything has to be open”. Everything has to be in front of the press.
Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index ranks Afghanistan 166 out of 168 countries (North Korea and Somalia jointly placed last on the list), while Nigeria ranks 136. It’s going to be…It could be quite interesting.
It wasn’t clear whether the prime minister was aware the conversation was being recorded.
A Downing Street spokesman later said the Presidents of Nigeria and Afghanistan have both acknowledged the corruption challenge they face, and that the United Kingdom stands shoulder to shoulder with them in their fight against it.
Representatives from both Houses of Parliament and from across the political spectrum attended the event.
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The video of the meeting obtained by Reuters went viral during the period when President Muhammadu Buhari was airborne to the United Kingdom. In 2014, he was filmed telling New York’s mayor that the Queen had “purred down the line” after he had called her to say Scotland had rejected independence.
