Boris Johnson was caught on camera pulling faces as Rishi Sunak described Ukrainians huddled in basements.
The prime minister appeared to giggle and pull a silly face at Labour MPs as the chancellor got to his feet to read out his spring statement.
While it was clearly not directed at the chancellor’s words, social media users suggested it was “not a good look” for the prime minister.
While the PM pulled the face, Sunak told the Commons: “As I stand here, men women and children are huddled in basements across Ukraine seeking protection.”
It comes after the prime minister was fiercely criticised for comparing Brexit to the war in Ukraine.
Speaking at the Conservative Party spring conference over the weekend, the prime minister said it was the “instinct of the people of this country, like the people of Ukraine, to choose freedom”, with the Brexit vote a “famous recent example”.
The comments sparked a backlash, with Labour condemning the “utterly distasteful” comparison.
Former Ukraine president Petro Poroshenko hit back, telling Johnson: “How many citizens of the UK died because of Brexit? Zero...please, no comparison.”
No.10 said the PM was not making a “direct comparison” between Ukraine’s resistance to Russian invasion and the Brexit vote but would not withdraw the comment.