Sir Keir Starmer has made a joke about his father’s occupation during his keynote speech to the Labour Party conference.

"People like my dad, I think by now you know what he did for a living. But then again, do you?"

The conference hall erupted into a titter of laughter.

"Do you really know the skill, the craft, the precision that goes into tool-making?"

He added: "The thing is he always felt disrespected... because he worked with his hands, and I can see why.

"He worked hours and hours at night school when he was an apprentice. I went to Leeds University, had a good time, it’s a good place to have a good time is Leeds.

"And when I came back I officially became the first in my family to go to university, I was put on that pedestal. Working-class families know exactly what I mean."