Jean-Claude Juncker almost sets Rwanda's first lady on fire during ceremony to commemorate genocide

European Commission president seemed to forget he was holding a long torch with a large flame at the end of it

And, in a break from Brexit news, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has nearly set fire to the First Lady of Rwanda.

Perhaps overwhelmed by the solemnity of commemorating the Rwandan genocide - or distracted by problems closer to Brussels - maybe even as a gift to satirists who call him Jean-Claude Drunker, the 64-year-old seemed briefly to forget he was carrying a long torch with a large flame at the end of it.

Having just lit the Flame of Hope, he came perilously close to lighting Jeannette Kagame, wife of Rwandan president Paul.

As if unsure sure about what to do with the long burning pole thingy now his ceremonial duties were over, the European Commission president seemed to look for assistance, absent-mindedly trailing the torch around with him as he did so.

Mr and Mrs Kagame seemed to flinch and dodge backwards as the flame came perilously close to the First Lady, before a steward rather firmly blocked the torch’s path and removed it from the hands of the leader of the European Commission.

The still-burning torch was removed to a safe place, some distance away from Mr Juncker, who managed to complete the rest of Sunday’s ceremony without any further accidental slapstick.

Thus was Mr Juncker able to return to Brussels to play his part, on Wednesday night, in extending the run of an already very long-running British farce around the theme of Brexit.