The prime minister showed his humorous side at Prime Minister's Questions today (Wednesday, October 25) as the House of Commons welcomed its two newest MPs.
Alistair Strathern and Sarah Edwards were attending their first PMQs as the members for Mid Bedfordshire and Tamworth respectively, following by-election victories last week.
Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, introduced Mr Strathern to the House, saying that he had "defied the odds, history and, of course, the fantasy Lib Dem bar charts" to become the first Labour MP for Mid Beds.
He then asked whether Rishi Sunak was "relieved" that constituents in Tamworth were not "burdened" by the defeated Conservative candidate, who had shared a Facebook post suggesting that parents who could not feed their kids should "f*** off".
In response, Mr Sunak said: "I'm proud of what this government is doing to support the most vulnerable over the past year."
He then took the opportunity to make a joke at the expense of Nadine Dorries, the former Conservative MP for Mid Beds.
Mr Sunak said: "Can I join [Sir Keir] in welcoming the new members to their places - after all, I suspect the new member for Mid Beds may actually support me a little bit more than the last one."
🚨 BREAK: Rishi Sunak makes a genuinely funny joke about Nadine Dorries and the new MP for Mid Beds Alistair Strathern. pic.twitter.com/R6oDscCog6
— PoliticsJOE (@PoliticsJOE_UK) October 25, 2023
The comment even brought a laugh from Mr Strathern himself.
Ms Dorries, a supporter of Boris Johnson, regularly criticised Mr Sunak during her final months as an MP and accused him of "demeaning his office" in a fiery resignation letter.
At PMQs, Mr Sunak also commented on Mr Strathern's opposition to new housing developments in Mid Beds, suggesting he "have a word" with Sir Keir about it.
Sir Keir recently said that a Labour government would build 1.5m new homes, and that he is prepared to ignore local opponents of new developments to meet that target.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here