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Members of Parliament are used to battling over policies and scoring political points against each other.

But now it emerges they are also engaged in a far more unusual competition - skipping.

Unflattering videos of senior politicans including Nick Clegg, George Osborne and Ed Balls have emerged showing them trying to outdo each other by completing as many skips as possible in two minutes.

The amusing clips show them taking part - with varying degrees of success - in an ongoing unofficial competition between MPs.

More than 100 are currently involved, with a league table showing the Palace of Westminster's best performers.

Conservative MP David Davies currently tops the list, with an impressive 348 skips in the designated time.

The deputy prime minister ranks in the middle of the list with 152, while the chancellor languishes near the bottom with 48.

Disgraced former MP Chris Huhne is the worst performing MP, managing just 27.

They were both outperformed by 65-year-old Ann Widdecombe who posted a respectable score of 78 skips.

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO - GEORGE OSBORNE SKIPPING

In one video Mr Clegg says he is "exhausted" by the efforts.

Meanwhile shadow secretary of state for health Andy Burnham joked he would text Mr Balls to taunt him when he beat his score of 138 by four.

The challenge was devised by former boxer John McCormack, who has spent the past seven years persuading people in power to lose their inhibitions and take part.

He invented a skipping rope which records the number of rotations, and as well as MPs, has visited more than 750,000 schoolchildren with his "skip2bfitter" workshops in an effort to improve the nation's fitness.

The attempts take place either at local primary schools, or at the Houses of Parliament themselves.

Mr McCormack said he has been amazed at just how many MPs have got involved.

He said: "Obviously the point in this was to get the children fit. The MPs have been brilliant over the years, yes they may look a little bit silly, but they've nearly all been up for giving it a go to show the children how it's done.

"We've had MPs feel ill, fall over and get ultra competitive. When Andy Burnham did it he said he was going to text Ed Balls to tell him he had beaten his score.

"Ann Widdecombe got the rope and ran around the room with it before the music had even started, beating a lot of the men - even at her age.

"We've had around 100 MPs take part now and they all love it - it's something we'd love the Government help get round schools."

Revelling in her skipping notoriety, the former Home Office minister told the Standard: "If you look at some of the people I beat there must be some advantage to being tubby and ancient."

Westminster's top five skippers:

David Davies (Con) 348 skips in 2 mins

Eric Joyce (Lab) 226

Rehman Chishti (Con) 224

Tom Brake (Lib Dem) 215

David Willetts (Con) 211

Other notable performers:

Andy Burnham (Lab) 142

Ed Balls (Lab) 138

Chris Grayling (Con) 119

Hugh Robertson (Con) 93

Simon Hughes (Lib Dem) 78

Ann Widdecombe (Con) 78

George Osborne (Con) 48

Chris Huhne (Lib Dem) 27

ED BALLS SKIPPING

NICK CLEGG SKIPPING

DAVID DAVIES SKIPPING