Rory Stewart laughs off selfie gaffe by holding the camera for Jo Swinson

Rory Stewart showed off his sense of humour before an episode of Question Time in a self-aware video with Liberal Democrat Jo Swinson.

Mr Stewart had been mocked on social media earlier in the week after admitting he had pretended to hold his phone in a video he shared to Twitter.

But ahead of a Question Time appearance in Epsom, the International Development Secretary, who is a candidate for the Conservative leadership, joked about the gaffe in a video with Ms Swinson.

In a message to her followers, Ms Swinson announced she was looking forward to her Question Time appearance before adding: “And this time Rory was holding the camera!”

Mr Stewart retweeted the post with the caption: “#holdingthecamera”.

Mr Stewart’s Kew Gardens video received thousands of likes and comments, with one user asking: “are you pretending to hold your phone?” to which the Tory replied: “Yes”.

A new Conservative leader is expected to be selected to succeed Theresa May by the end of July.