Irish backpackers harass Barnaby Joyce and Deputy Speaker in a Canberra pub

Rowdy Irish backpackers harassed politicians Barnaby Joyce and Llew O’Brien in a Canberra pub, forcing them to make a quick exit and end their night early.

The former deputy prime minister and Deputy Speaker Mr O’Brien were enjoying their Sunday evening at the Civic Pub in Braddon.

But shortly after entering the venue the pair were forced to make a hasty escape after being confronted by a group of loud backpackers. 

Rowdy Irish backpackers harassed politicians Barnaby Joyce (left) and Llew O’Brien (right) in a Canberra pub, forcing them to make a quick exist and end their night early

The former deputy prime minister and Deputy Speaker Mr O’Brien were enjoying their Sunday evening at the Civic Pub in Braddon (pictured)

Mr Joyce has denied that he and Mr O’Brien had been thrown out of the pub, according to news.com.au.

‘Someone was being rude to Llew,’ Mr Joyce said.

‘What happened (was) there were Irish backpackers and they were being loud and I thought, “Let’s get out of here”.’

Mr O’Brien, who was a former police officer in Queensland, and Mr Joyce said they decided to leave before the matter escalated.

While he denied the commotion had nothing to do with him, Mr Joyce said he was unsure why the backpackers were rude to the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.

‘I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know. Bye!’ he said.

The Civic Pub confirmed there had been an incident on Sunday night but when contacted by Daily Mail Australia, staff were unsure of the details.

The pub is situated on Lonsdale Street, a two minute walk from Canberra’s famous rainbow roundabout.    

The pub is situated on Lonsdale Street, a two minute walk from Canberra’s famous rainbow roundabout

Vikki Campion (right), then 33, was working as a staffer for Barnaby Joyce (centre), 51, when she had an affair with him and fell pregnant with his child (left) in 2018

It is also in walking distance to the apartment once owned by Vikki Campion, the former National Leader’s press secretary-lover.

Ms Campion, then 33, was working as a staffer for ex Deputy Prime Minister Mr Joyce, 51, when she had an affair with him and fell pregnant with his child in 2018. 

Once news of the relationship reached the press, former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull introduced a ‘bonk ban’ on coalition MPs to stop them having sex with their ministerial staff. 

Ms Campion, writing in the Daily Telegraph on Saturday, said the bonk ban ‘doesn’t protect anyone’.

She said loopholes allow ministers to sleep with other junior staff they do not directly employ regardless of their position. 

Ms Campion now has two children, Sebastian and Tom, with Mr Joyce.