Wes Streeting has been forced to apologise after calling Jeremy Corbyn “senile” in the House of Commons.
The shadow health secretary made the comment to a colleague as the former Labour leader prepared to raise a point of order.
But it was picked up by one of the microphones which hang from the Commons ceiling.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak was about to make a statement on his visit to the Cop27 climate summit when Corbyn, who now sits as an independent MP, tried to intervene.
Commons speaker Lindsay Hoyle told him: “Points of order come after statements.”
Streeting can then be heard saying: “He’s gone senile.”
His remark was widely condemned on Twitter.
Columnist Owen Jones described the remark as “gross”.
And Labour councillor Martin Abrams tweeted: “Why is the shadow secretary of state for health joking about dementia?”
Streeting said his comment had been “in jest, but I accept in poor taste”.
He added: “I’ve dropped Jeremy a note directly to apologise for any offence caused.”
Streeting, the MP for Ilford North, was an outspoken critic of Corbyn when he was Labour leader.
In 2019, he said “self-inflicted wounds” over Brexit and “hollow” leadership on anti-Semitism would hand victory to the Conservatives.
Boris Johnson went on to secure an 80-seat majority for the Tories in a snap election later that year.