Boris Johnson mistakenly calls Africa a country

Boris Johnson mistakenly referred to Africa as a country while reflecting on his three months as foreign secretary.

In his speech at the Conservative Party conference, Johnson talked about Britain's "irresistible soft power" while saying the EU referendum was "a vote for economic and political freedom."

He name-checked JK Rowling for her international popularity and praised the BBC, saying the broadcaster "is the single greatest and most effective ambassador for our culture and our values."

Johnson said with 2% of its GDP spent on defence the UK would be the leading military player in western Europe for the foreseeable future.

He also noted that one in 10 British people live abroad and said that great minds from across the world congregate in London, a "great jiving funkopolitan melting pot".

Johnson said he wanted to emphasise that "free markets and free societies go together."

The foreign secretary said countries across Africa were becoming more authoritarian before calling the continent a country. "Life expectancy in Africa has risen astonishingly as that country has entered the global economic system," he said.

Johnson said the risk from war, terrorism, and cybercrime is significant across the world, but praised the UK, saying British values "continue to lift the world out of poverty."