Ian Hislop praised for roasting Boris Johnson fan Andrea Jenkyns on 'Have I Got News for You'

Have I Got News For You continued with its 68th series on Friday night, and Private Eye editor and show regular Ian Hislop has received widespread praise for his takedown of fellow panellist and Boris Johnson fan Dame Andrea Jenkyns when she voiced support for the ex-prime minister and took aim at the studio audience.

Guest hosted by Today presenter Amol Rajan, the broadcaster asked the panellists – completed by comedians Miles Jupp and Paul Merton – if Johnson would make a political comeback, off the back of his memoirUnleashedbeing released this week.

Jenkyns, who lost her Leeds seat of Morley in July’s general election and is probably best known for sticking her middle finger up at people outside Downing Street in 2022, replied: “I don’t think it’s over for him, no … I still think Boris was one of our better prime ministers.”

When this was met with groans from the audience, she added: “I see you’ve selected the audience, people who don’t like Boris or the Conservatives.”

This was met with disbelief from Hislop, who clapped back by saying she had “no evidence” for the claim.

“[You’ve got] no proof. It’s just b*******. This isn’t GB News,” he said.

Rajan then waded into the joke by sarcastically adding: “Hang on, isn’t this GB News? Sorry, I was in the wrong place altogether.”

When the former BBC media editor looked to move on to the next section of the programme, Merton issued a delayed “don’t go”, prompting laughs from the audience and Jupp.

Hislop’s comments have once again seen him branded a “national treasure” online:

Others, however, disapproved of Jenkyns making an appearance on the show altogether:

Jenkyns also confirmed she bagged herself a signed copy of Johnson’s memoir, which prompted Hislop to ask if he wrote “this is fiction” as the dedication.

Awkward.

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