Joe Lycett insists he is thrilled Liz Truss will be the new Prime Minister - and reckons we've got 'Thatcher 2.0' on our hands.
The Foreign Secretary has triumphed over her rival Rishi Sunak in the contest to succeed Boris Johnson as the new Tory leader.
She will be sworn in by the Queen at Balmoral on Tuesday and instructed to form a government.
But the comedian says he left the new PM with a 'face like a slapped a**e' after his headline-grabbing BBC politics show appearance.
The funnyman pretended to be “right-wing” during an appearance on Laura Kuenssberg’s new Sunday morning programme.
After watching Laura interview the prime ministerial candidate live in the studio, Joe could be heard shouting off-screen: “You smashed it, Liz!”
His sarcastic display earned plenty of praise - but he was slammed by some who didn't agree with his satirical performance.
Joe, who tweeted the new PM to congratulate her this afternoon, appeared on Jeremy Vine's Channel 5 show earlier to talk about being accused of 'mocking' Mrs Truss.
He told the presenter: "They say I am mocking Liz Truss, which is the complete opposite of what I'm doing. I'm a huge Liz Truss fan.
"She is the absolute best we're capable of. She's Thatcher 2.0.
"I'm nostalgic for Thatcher, I loved Thatcher - she got rid of those wokey miners, didn't she?
"Good job, Margaret! I'm thrilled to have Liz as PM. It's going to be a great time for this country and she is going to fix it!"
When asked if there should be jokes at such a serious time, he insisted: "I am very sincere."
Mrs Truss - who previously stated she hates comparisons with the late Mrs Thatcher - will tomorrow become the UK's new Prime Minister as the current Foreign Secretary defeated former Chancellor Rishi Sunak with 57% of the vote to his 43%.
Joe, 34, who has been openly critical of the Tory government, was invited on the BBC politics show on Sunday as the leadership race reached its climax.
"I think the haters will say we’ve had 12 years of the Tories, and that we’re sort of at the dregs of what they’ve got available, and that Liz Truss is sort of like the backwash of the available MPs," he said.
“I wouldn’t say that, because I’m incredibly right wing, but some people might say that.”
During the interview, unimpressed Laura asked him to be “serious”, with the comic replying: “I’m not being sarcastic.”
Speaking to the Radio Times about the fall out, he said: "Apparently she (Liz Truss) got up quicker than she'd been told to. And my BBC source said that she had. And this is a direct quote, "a face like a slapped a**e.
"But I'd be very sad if I'd made Liz Truss sad in any way because she is my favourite politician. And I'm thrilled that she's going to be the Prime Minister."
Shortly after his appearance he was trending on social media.
Former head of the beeb's political programming Rob Burley said: "It's not the time for that nonsense."
His appearance on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg quickly went viral as a highlight clip circulated, with many praising the comedian.
