‘I didn’t start it, Miss!’ Keir Starmer’s schoolboy ‘6-7’ gag shows he does have a human side after all!

Prime minister Keir Starmer should ignore that advice to never work with children or animals. The video of his visit to Welland Primary School in Peterborough on Monday is the first time in many months that the world has seen the natural charm of the man behind the politician.

He knew what the girl meant when she said she was on page 67 of the book she was reading. He joined in the “6-7” call-and-response, which was very much on the outer edge of my cultural hinterland.

It is, as far as I understand it, a TikTok meme, Your Honour, from a song by Skrilla about a basketball player who is 6ft 7in tall. It has come to mean “I don’t know,” as in “six, seven, whatever”, accompanied by a juggling hand gesture that even the prime minister recognised.

Starmer was literally down with the kids, sitting at a low table, at ease with the silliness.

Schools are always risky territory for politicians. David Cameron was photographed reading with a girl who had her head on the table – a picture that sparked thousands of caption competitions. Boris Johnson posed in front of a shelf of children’s books with titles including The Twits, Betrayed and Resistance. Longer ago, Gordon Brown narrowly escaped embarrassment when a pupil asked him what 13 squared was; but luckily he knew the answer – after buying himself half a second by repeating the question.

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But Starmer came across as pleasant, cheerful and playful. “That was a bit wild,” he said as he emerged from the classroom. The teacher with him seemed amused, noting that the children usually “get into trouble” for doing the “6-7”. The prime minister offered a moment of contrition: “Sorry about that,” while the teacher reassured him, “It’s absolutely fine.”

Starmer then subverted this quintessentially British exchange by protesting: “I didn’t start it, Miss.”

Well, call me a softy, but I thought he came across well. I am neither a teacher nor a parent of school-age children, and although I am told by those who are that the “6-7” thing is extremely annoying, I think banning it shows a lack of imagination on the part of school authorities. So I found Starmer’s gentle mischief, in fact, rather attractive.

He even seemed genuinely friendly with Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, who accompanied him on the visit and appeared to enjoy the childish antics. He should be on good terms with her, of course, as she fought a stalwart campaign for him as Labour’s deputy leadership candidate, but it was refreshing to see two senior politicians so relaxed and comfortable in each other’s company.

The official message of the visit was largely lost, needless to say. Starmer and Phillipson were promoting the extension of free school meals for all children in families on universal credit – benefiting 500,000 more children, but not until next September.

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The unintended message, however, was priceless: the prime minister is not just a bureaucrat with a strangulated public speaking voice – he can also be a decent, affable and mildly humorous human being.

When I explained to a Labour MP in Westminster that I was writing a positive article about the prime minister, they were surprised and asked what had brought this on. When I explained, they looked delighted and said: “I’m sure a grateful nation will turn towards him as a result.”

Well, maybe not. But it is worth noting, as the prime minister faces the relentlessly negative estimation of journalists and public opinion, that he can do “human” after all.