LONDON -- George Osborne just about managed to keep it together Monday when a reporter threw him an off-the-cuff question over allegations made about David Cameron in a new book.
The unofficial biography about the life of the British Prime Minister, which is being serialised in The Daily Mail, claims Cameron "inserted a private part of his anatomy" into a dead pig and smoked cannabis among other shocking allegations.
Speaking in Beijing, where he's on a five-day tour, the Chancellor of the Exchequer couldn't avoid the issue.
George Osborne declines to comment on Ashcroft allegations pic.twitter.com/NzcpPfGArk via @AndyWoodcock— Press Association (@PA) September 21, 2015
Holding back laughter, a grinning Osborne responded to the reporter's question, saying: "Well, eh, I haven't seen that book," before swiftly changing the subject to another topic.
At home in Britain, Downing Street was less amused, saying it was refusing to "dignify" the allegations with a comment.
The book Call Me Dave is co-authored by Lord Ashcroft -- a former Conservative Party donor who has admitted to having a personal "beef" with the prime minister after he was passed over for a job in the previous government. He has denied that it's about "settling scores."