‘Calm down, dear’ Cameron says Labour can’t take a joke

Mr Cameron told an audience of Conservative activists in North Wales: “Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you to calm down.”

To laughter and applause, he continued: “I don’t know what it is about some people on the left. It seems that when they put the socialism in, they take the sense of humour out.

“I got home last night and my wife said to me ‘What sort of day did you have, dear?’

“And I told her I was attacked by Harriet Harman and defended by Michael Winner and she said ‘What on earth were you up to?”’

The row erupted yesterday after Mr Cameron aimed the remark at Shadow Treasury Chief Secretary Angela Eagle during rowdy exchanges during Prime Minister’s questions on Wednesday.

On television yesterday morning, Ms Eagle said: “He just lost his rag, I think, and revealed himself in a way that perhaps his minders wouldn’t have wanted him to.

“It was patronising but it wasn’t something that surprises me about him.

“He’s done it before in the House of Commons, especially when he’s been on the back foot,” she added.

It later emerged that Mr Cameron previously used the “calm down, dear” line in the Commons to a male MP.

Mr Winner, meanwhile, had said the uproar caused by Mr Cameron’s use of his catchphrase was “ridiculous”.

“It’s used by everybody,” he said.

“People come up to me in the street and in restaurants saying it. It’s a totally harmless bit of fun.”

The Prime Minister was speaking to Tory faithful in advance of next week’s elections.