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Boris Johnson was caught making a bizarre cut-throat gesture while answering a radio caller's question about social care.

As the Prime Minister chatted about the UK being on the verge of a "Beveridge moment" in social care, he was seen gesturing at someone off camera.

He drew a finger across his throat in an apparent cut-throat motion. A brief waving of a hand can also be seen.

Mr Johnson was taking part in an LBC phone-in during which he took questions from voters by telephone.

Footage from inside the studio was broadcast online.

When the moment was later raised during the interview, Mr Johnson said: "The reason I was momentarily distracted was because I was looking at the TV screen where it has a picture of me drawing a hand across my throat, but that is only because I was imitating you (host Nick Ferrari)."

(Image: Twitter)

But Labour 's David Lammy accused Johnson of making the gesture in a bid to "cut the call and move on to a different question".

The Labour candidate for Tottenham said on Twitter : "Scared of debating the climate emergency. Scared of a 30 minute BBC interview. Scared to take a call".

Others have backed the PM's explanation of what happened, with political correspondent for Sky Rob Powell tweeting: "PM says the reason is because he was imitating Nick Ferrari (off-screen).

"Nick F says he was doing it because a producer was talking to him down his headphones too loudly."

As he made the cut-throat gesture, the Prime Minister was referring to the Beveridge Report which saw the birth of the modern welfare state after it was published on December 1, 1942.

It aimed to provide a comprehensive system of social insurance 'from cradle to grave'.

(Image: Twitter)

It also proposed that all working people should pay a weekly contribution to the state and in return, benefits would be paid to the unemployed, the sick, the retired and the widowed.

Speaking on the subject, of people having to sell their homes to pay for care, Mr Johnson said: "I think we are on the verge of a moment like the original Beveridge plan in social care where people do understand that it is not right for people to be forced to sell their homes like they have been.

"So we will be brining in a very good plan."

Last week the Tories revealed their social care manifesto policy as they admitted a final plan is being kicked down the road - again.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced £1bn a year for five years to tackle a crisis in the nation's care homes.

(Image: PA)

But he admitted the Tories will not announce a full long-term reform in this week's election manifesto.

Instead the party will pledge "urgent" work "to find a cross-party consensus" with MPs - after the election is finished.

And there will only be one red line, he said - that no one will have to sell their home to pay for their own care.

The policy - which accepts long-time calls from social care campaigners - seems to be bid to avoid disastrous 'dementia tax' headlines that plagued Theresa May's 2017 election.

But it means there is yet another delay after years of dither and in-fighting.

Currently people must fund their own care if they deplete all but £23,350 of their life savings, including the value of their home.