Boris Johnson overpaid for a $227 box of cod during a visit to a Scottish fish market, and didn't even take it with him when he left

Duncan McGlynn/Pool via Reuters

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits Peterhead Fish Market in Peterhead, Scotland, Britain September 6, 2019.

• British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday engaged in a bidding war for a box of fish during a visit to a market in northern Scotland.
• A video shared by ITV shows Johnson making an initial bid of £160 ($197) before gradually increasing his bids, eventually winning the box of cod for £185 ($227).
• The chief executive of the fish market, Simon Berbner, told the Daily Record that Johnson had overpaid for the box of fish: "If you're selling, it's a great price. If you're buying, maybe it's a little high."
• Johnson's trip to Scotland came as he tries to drum up voter support for a general election, having failed to gain parliamentary support for a vote.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday visited a fish market in northern Scotland, and while he was there entered into an aggressive bidding war for a box of cod, according to numerous media reports.

Johnson visited Peterhead Fish Market in the county of Aberdeenshire Friday, as part of a trip to rural northern Scotland intended to build support for a general election after he failed earlier in the week to garner enough support in parliament to call a vote.

During a tour of the market, which sells wholesale fish caught off the Scottish coast to restaurants and fishmongers, Johnson bid for a box of fish, appearing to do so jokily at first.

A video shared by ITV shows Johnson making an initial bid of £160 ($197) before gradually increasing his bids, eventually winning the box of cod for £185 ($227).

"Good god, that's an expensive fish," Johnson can be heard saying in a video shared by the Aberdeen Evening Express.

Read more: 'He will have to resign': Conservative rebel says Boris Johnson will have no choice but to leave Downing Street

The chief executive of the fish market, Simon Berbner, told reporters that Johnson had overpaid for the box of fish: "If you're selling, it's a great price. If you're buying, maybe it's a little high."

"It depends on supply and demand, but on Fridays you get good prices."

According to the Daily Record, Johnson did not take the box of fish with him when he left the market. The report added that the prime minister's aides could not confirm what would happen to the box of fish.

During the visit, Johnson attempted to reassure fishermen that a no deal Brexit would not lead to delays in the processing of fish caught in British waters, but Berbner was unconvinced.

"We're not quite sure what it's going to do, but what it is going to do is its going to put a lot of additional costs and procedures in place which would not be as seamless as we would like and what is happening at the moment," he said, according to numerous reports.

Our Brexit Insider Facebook group is the best place for up-to-date news and analysis about Britain's departure from the EU, direct from Business Insider's political reporters. Join here.