Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "Morris dance" in English language version.
Is the prime minister an expert in the complicated and obscure history of blacking up in Morris dancing? Perhaps he is, and this is why he felt comfortable posing for this picture, because he is sure that the tradition is either related to a pagan ritual to ward off evil spirits; a celebration of Moorish ancestry; the prevalence of mining in particular communities; or a disguise donned by poor men who went begging during the 1800s.