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Harry Fletcher
Sep 21, 2022
Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng during two-minute silence at Queen's funeral
BBC
Kwasi Kwarteng has attracted criticism on social media after being accused of ‘laughing’ during the Queen’s funeral.
The newly-appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer attended the service at Westminster Abbey on Monday.
He was seated behind former prime minister Boris Johnson and his wife, Carrie Johnson.
People online spotted him smiling and appearing to act in a distracted way during the ceremony, with some accusing him of taking a call during the funeral.
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Twitter user @LouisHenwood was one person who posted the footage and added the caption: “Nice to see Kwasi Kwarteng clearly taking a personal call at the Queen’s funeral and having a bit of a laugh.
\u201cNice to see Kwasi Kwarteng clearly taking a personal call at the Queens funeral and having a bit of a laugh\n\nThe chancellor can't even show any respect at this most solemn occasion\n\n#queensfuneral\u201d— Louis \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa \u3013\u3013 \ud83d\udc99 Defend the right to vote (@Louis \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa \u3013\u3013 \ud83d\udc99 Defend the right to vote) 1663602760
“The chancellor can’t even show any respect at this most solemn occasion.”
Another user posted a separate video of Kwarteng ‘acting very strange’ during the 2-minute silence.
\u201c@LouisHenwood Yep he was acting very strange! This was during 2 minutes silence.\u201d— Louis \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa \u3013\u3013 \ud83d\udc99 Defend the right to vote (@Louis \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa \u3013\u3013 \ud83d\udc99 Defend the right to vote) 1663602760
He can be seen taking off his glasses, wiping his face during the clip and moving while others around him stayed still.
His actions came in for widespread criticism on social media, with Dragons' Den star Deborah Meaden writing: "What's going on here? .....because the answers will range from inappropriate to downright frightening from our Chancellor #KwasiKwarteng I do think he should be asked to explain himself?"
\u201cWhy has there been no coverage on main news or on Google of the rude behaviour of Kwasi Kwarteng at the state funeral yesterday?\u201d— valpenny (@valpenny) 1663660729
\u201cWhat's going on here? .....because the answers will range from inappropriate to downright frightening from our Chancellor #KwasiKwarteng I do think he should be asked to explain himself? @Channel4News\u201d— Deborah Meaden \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Deborah Meaden \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1663673750
\u201cKwasi Kwarteng laughing during the Queen\u2019s funeral perfectly encapsulates the Tories in No 10.\n\nThey partied when the Queen buried her husband, now the laugh as she is buried.\n\n#ToriesUnfitToGovern #ToriesLiedPeopleDied #CostOfLivingCrisis \n\n\u201d— geoffh (@geoffh) 1663608114
\u201cBBC reporting that Justin Trudeau potentially caused offence by singing Bohemian Rhapsody in a London bar two nights before the Queen's funeral; but curiously not a single mention of Kwasi Kwarteng laughing, smirking and behaving very strangely through the actual funeral.\u201d— Matt Page (@Matt Page) 1663677648
\u201cWe all know the if any Labour MP had been caught on camera laughing and joking at the Queen's funeral like @KwasiKwarteng it would have been front page news on every right-wing newspaper for a month, right?\u201d— Mike Holden \ud83d\udc99 (@Mike Holden \ud83d\udc99) 1663680108
\u201cHey, @KwasiKwarteng could you please explain your odd behaviour at Queen Elizabeth's funeral today?\u201d— SM (@SM) 1663621758
Kwarteng has come under fire for being disruptive during sessions in the House of Commons before.
In 2015, the MP was condemned for his behaviour in the chamber after he was caught laughing out loud during the debate over the Chancellor’s package of £4.4bn cuts to tax credits.
Kwarteng was criticised over his actions during the debate, in which he appears to be sharing a joke with a colleague sat in front of him.
Indy100 has reached out to Kwarteng’s representatives for comment.
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