In a clip that has subsequently gone viral on Twitter, British prime minister Boris Johnson is seen accepting a plastic cup from an aide at the Conservative Party conference, only to have a second aide whisk it away from his hand with the reprimand, “No disposable cups.”

Social media users are amused by the video, as Johnson has often been named an explicitly populist leader, pandering to public opinion as it changes, “not least over Brexit” wrote Matthew Flinders. Some are asserting that this move, supposedly driven by his team’s worry over his public image, is futile at best and ignorant of larger issues at worst.