David Cameron and Danish PM brush off criticism of Mandela memorial selfie
British prime minister says he was being polite when Helle Thorning-Schmidt asked him to take part in picture.
David Cameron and the Danish prime minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, have brushed off criticism of their decision to pose for a "selfie" photograph at a memorial service for Nelson Mandela alongside the US president, Barack Obama. The British prime minister said he was being polite when Thorning-Schmidt, the daughter-in-law of the former Labour leader Neil Kinnock, asked him to take part in the picture. He told parliament on Wednesday: "In my defence I'd say that Nelson Mandela played an extraordinary role in his life and in his death in bringing people together." The photo went viral on Tuesday, prompting accusations from some of poor taste. Many noted that Michelle Obama looked on stony-faced during the rainy event in Soweto. Thorning-Schmidt described her impromptu snap as "not inappropriate". Speaking to the Danish media she said: "There were plenty of pictures that day. We've taken very many pictures of Obama, and I just think that it was kind of funny. It shows perhaps that when we meet from state and government, we too are just people who have fun together."