George Osborne has become known for crowbarring a Budget-based joke or two into his financial statements. Wednesday's Autumn Statement was no different.
The chancellor told MPs that Alan Johnson, the former Labour home secretary, had personally asked him to support Hull in it's year of culture. "I am happy to do with with a grant," he said.
Osborne added to laughter from Tory MPs: "His campaign has contributed to arts, while his front-bench contributes to comedy."
Yesterday Johnson engaged in a bitter argument on live TV with a member of a leftwing group that wanted to expel him from the party for being a "Blairite dinosaur".