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This is the moment a minister in the House of Lords' makes a statement about the behaviour of MPs - and the prime minister - regarded so absurd that it leaves peers laughing out loud.

The statement was read out by Lord True and was a repetition of the words delivered by Cabinet Office minister Michael Ellis in the House of Commons earlier that day in response to a question by Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner requesting an “update” on how standards in public life among MPs are upheld.

It came in the midst of ongoing allegations that a Tory MP, Chris Pincher, groped two men in a club while drunk, forcing him to resign as deputy chief whip and that Boris Johnson and No 10 tried to cover up whether or not the PM knew claims of inappropriate behaviour had been made against him.

Speaking in a dry manner, Lord True said: “It’s a pleasure to appear before you and this house on this important matter [laughter].

“And Mr Speaker, we are fortunate in this country to have a sophisticated and robust system for upholding public standards [more laughter].

“The system is... the system is multifaceted [more laughter].

“It is made up of interlocking and complementary elements. It is of course founded on the Seven Principles of public life which have been in place for a quarter of a century and which provide the overarching qualities and standards of behaviour that are expected.

He goes on: “But let me say that no system can replace the fundamental importance of personal responsibility. We all know this. We all know this t o be true. Codes and rules and oversight bodies are there to guide us that we all ultimately in public life must choose for ourselves, how to act.”

Following his delivery, Baroness Smith adds: “His heart wasn’t in it, was it?”

While many peers may have found it funny, others commented on the farcical nature of the situation.

Alistair Carmichael, an SNP MP, said: "First as tragedy, then as farce. In point of fact I think at this point it is farce all the way down."

Rayner said: "Tory Ministers are defending the indefensible while the Prime Minister drags standards through the mud. Even they are laughing at his latest excuse as they read out his script. But the joke's just not funny any more."

Labour MP Angela Eagle added: "The aptly named Govt Minister Lord True can barely keep a straight face as he attempts to assert that his Govt has any standards whilst the rest of the Lords erupts in laughter."

other commenters on Twitter were equally scathing, with one describing it as "utterly depressing" another as "unsustainable", while a third said: "At the risk of being a party-pooper, it is really not healthy that we have an entire chamber of Parliament - including the front-bench - openly laughing at the idea that "we are fortunate in this country to have a sophisticated and robust system for upholding public standards."