PRIVATE Eye has rapped Keir Starmer for “stealing” their joke about the Prime Minister’s chances of staying in office until Christmas.
The Labour leader – not noted for his sense of humour – cracked a remarkably similar joke at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday about a new book by The Sun’s political editor Harry Cole to one made in the latest issue of the satirical news mag, out the same day, incidentally.
Quoting the blurb of the book, Private Eye said it was due out on December 8, adding: “The book, that is, not the subject.”
Cole picked up on the quip this morning, posting a blurry picture of the small piece at 9am, around three hours before Starmer got to his feet in the Commons.
He said: “It’s the most talked about book of the year… thanks for the free advert.”
A reminder: stealing bits of Private Eye on the day it comes out and sharing them with your own followers can deprive us of the sales income that enables us to continue doing what we do. So don’t do it, even if you are the leader of the opposition. pic.twitter.com/ACl9CQUysY
— Private Eye Magazine (@PrivateEyeNews) October 19, 2022
Speaking in parliament today, Starmer said: “A book is being written about the Prime Minister’s time in office. Apparently, it is going to be out by Christmas. Is that the release date or the title?”
In a tweet posted after the incident, the Eye swiped: “A reminder: stealing bits of Private Eye on the day it comes out and sharing them with your own followers can deprive us of the sales income that enables us to continue doing what we do.
“So don’t do it, even if you are the leader of the opposition.”
The Jouker’s spidey-senses always get tingling when Starmer cracks a decent joke, so it’s good to be reassured he probably got it from somewhere else.
