The atmosphere in the House of Commons was surprisingly lighthearted during Prime Minister's Questions as Sir Keir Starmer's time in office came to an end, with party leaders and backbenchers toning down the often vicious atmosphere to wish well to a man who has spent two years in one of the country's toughest jobs.
Labour's Johanna Baxter and Carolyn Harris sounded emotional as they paid tribute to Starmer, while Labour staff members and campaigners in the gallery were seen wiping their eyes as the PM paid tribute to his family in his final answer, which he seemed to struggle to keep dry-eyed.
The sight of a prominent Labour MP in tears was once enough to shake the economy, but today's display of emotion was overshadowed by the general consensus among those who spoke that Starmer may have made mistakes, but he always tried to make the choices he believed were right for his country.
Instead of the usual braggadocio seen in Boris Johnson's final PMQs, party leaders and backbenchers from across the house opted for lighthearted gags about the football and Nigel Farage's upcoming 'Binface by-election', with Starmer even doing the 6-7 dance in response to a question about his viral moments.
The House roared with laughter more than once, with the Tories' Jesse Norman having a particularly great time, and even Nigel Farage described Starmer as a 'decent man' when the cameras weren't on, a sentiment echoed by others who spoke about the PM's kind and compassionate nature.
The final week before the leader departs and the government changes is a time to take a lighter approach, and it seemed that everyone who spoke was trying to show that politics isn't all about inflicting the most damage, but about working together to make the country a better place.
Starmer received a standing ovation from Labour MPs as he exited the chamber, and the general consensus was that while he may have made mistakes, he was always trying to do what he believed was right for his country.
