Best thing to do when a colleague cries is to be an oblivious, unfeeling automaton, says Starmer

KEIR Starmer has shared his technique for dealing with emotional women or co-workers by ignoring them entirely and pretending it did not happen.

The prime minister admitted that he has often suffered from colleagues bursting into unexplained tears, often while in conversation with them, and his foolproof technique always halts it within a couple of days at the most.

He explained: “Emotions happen. And sometimes, embarrassingly, there are outward signs.

“It must be awful for those experiencing them, so what I do is carry on as though nothing of the sort is taking place, like a clockwork man made of cogs and gears would. Not that I am that.

“In this way the whole messy business, whether it’s losing flagship reforms, being left by a husband or being left out of the tea rota – all things I’ve seen women cry about – is easy to forget because you never admitted it happened in the first place. It’s win-win.

“Do I cry? Ah, this is one of those politician ‘gotcha’ questions like the price of a pint of milk, isn’t it? Yes I do. I cried at, let me consult these notes, ‘the Gavin & Stacey finale’.”

Kemi Badenoch said: “What were you crying about? Tell us. Tell us. Tell us what you were crying about. Tell us or I’ll beat you up.”

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Boyfriend preoccupied with TV excellent at listening

A MAN engrossed in a TV programme has proved to be an effective listener who does not patronise his girlfriend by offering unhelpful advice.

Watching the new series of Andor with rapt attention made Tom Booker appear to be a patient and compassionate listener in the eyes of girlfriend Lucy Parry as she discussed her problems.

Parry said: “I thought Tom would try to change the subject as I rambled on about my stressful day, but no. He just sat there in silence, clearly digesting every detail.

“He never sighed or showed any sign of boredom. And crucially he didn’t weigh in with solutions to my problems without really understanding the situation. 

“Other men could learn a lot from his example. Sometimes you just need to be a completely vacant sounding board for your partner. I didn’t realise he was so emotionally intelligent.

“I’ve never felt as close to Tom as when I confided in him in the glare of the 42-inch TV screen, one ear facing me for optimum hearing. I reckon I’ll f**k his brains out later to show him I grateful I am.”

Booker said: “I’ve been getting this vague buzzing sound in my left ear. I hope I’m not getting tinnitus.”