A Manx kipper was wielded above Boris Johnson’s head in his showdown to become Britain’s next Prime Minister.

The Conservative MP, who is a leadership candidate following Theresa May’s resignation speech earlier this year, used the smoked fish to highlight a point about Brexit at his party’s final hustings on Wednesday night (July 17).

While holding up the plastic cladded fish, he said: ’I want you to consider this kipper.

’This kipper which has been presented to me just now by the editor of a national newspaper, who received it from a kipper smoker in the Isle of Man who is utterly furious because after decades of sending kippers like this through the post, he has had his costs massively increased by Brussels bureaucrats who have insisted that each kipper must be accompanied by this, a plastic ice pillow.’

At the London Excel Centre he labelled the icepacks - one of which he presented to the crowd - as ’pointless, expensive’ and ’environmentally-damaging’.

The former Mayor of London added that Brexit would allow Britain to ’take back control’ of its regulatory framework and boost the economy which he claims ’leads the world in so many sectors’.

His illustrated point splashed on The Daily Telegraph and The Times’ front pages yesterday (Thursday), with both writing: ’Fishing for votes’.

The Independent’s front page also showed a photo of the scene, with the caption: ’Johnson attacks EU with fish at final Tory hustings’.

Johnson’s spectacle has caused many to go to Twitter to express that the Isle of Man is not part of the EU.

Laura Kuenssberg, political editor at BBC, tweeted: ’Btw, for those wondering about the kippers from the Isle of Man that Johnson was waving around, the Isle of Man is not in the UK, and not in the EU... just in case you are wondering.’

She included a link to Isle of Man Government’s document: ’Isle of Man Relationship with the European Union’.

In a reply, the Isle of Man Government tweeted: ’Thanks Laura #itscomplicated,’ while giving a link to its frequently asked questions about Brexit.

The island is a British Crown Dependency and although it is not part of the EU or UK, as it is internally autonomous and self-governing, the UK is said to be the island’s most important trading partner and shares in a currency union.

The free movement of goods and people between the two is of ’utmost importance’, the government has stated.

Also taking to Twitter on the fishy subject was Treasury Minister Alfred Cannan, who invited Johnson and Kuenssberg to visit the island.

’Did you know you can get your kippers posted OR why not visit the island and eat them fresh from the smokehouse? And if you don’t like kippers we have amazing food and drink on our biosphere island,’ he wrote. The winning candidate will be announced on July 23 with them taking up office the next day.