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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
John Crace

A black swan event: Keir actually cracked a good joke at PMQs

Keir Starmer gestures during prime minister's questions
‘If mysterious men appear from the east, this time report it to the police,’ Keir Starmer told Reform. Photograph: House of Commons/PA

Whisper it softly, but Keir Starmer made a joke. A good one at that. MPs from most corners of the Commons even laughed. Genuine laughter. Not the contrived partisan guffaws you usually get at prime minister’s questions that makes the public howl in despair.

OK, we can take issue with the delivery. Starmer has next to no grasp of comic timing. Any gag takes its life in its own hands when Keir is around. Most are dead on arrival. But let’s not be too picky. It was still a black swan event. A genuine rarity.

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