Corbyn and Cameron were forced to make smalltalk. What did they say?

While waiting for Xi Jinping’s address to start, the Labour leader and the prime minister had an awkward silence to fill. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

The visit of the Chinese premier, Xi Jinping, to parliament on Tuesday afternoon was the catalyst for one of the more awkward smalltalk partnerships of modern politics: Jeremy Corbyn and David Cameron.

Twitter – albeit not the same thing as Britain, as Cameron helpfully reminded us recently – was reliably awash with speculation about just what they said to each other.

The Guardian’s Elena Cresci commented:

Jeremy Corbyn looks like every woman who has ever been approached on the bus by a rando https://t.co/WRUZs7Oet6

— Elena Cresci (@elenacresci) October 20, 2015

Perhaps Corbyn was thinking this:

"if I just sit here and nod and don't say anything maybe he will stop talking to me"

— Elena Cresci (@elenacresci) October 20, 2015

Then was reminded of this throwback:

tfw bae calls you a threat to national security (via @richjamesuk) pic.twitter.com/TepO8n5fho

— Elena Cresci (@elenacresci) October 20, 2015

Jamie Ross, political reporter at Buzzfeed, pointed out:

Cameron and Corbyn are sitting together like a couple waiting in an airport who fell out during the holiday. pic.twitter.com/FrB7n8RD7K

— Jamie Ross (@JamieRoss7) October 20, 2015

Tom Chivers, of Buzzfeed, had this insight:

15 minutes into morally questionable diplomacy & chill and he gives you this look pic.twitter.com/kogRkbGkjv

— Tom Chivers (@TomChivers) October 20, 2015

While Vincent McAviney, producer at ITV, thought it looked like the PM was not pleased about a downgrade:

When your flights overbooked and you get downgraded to economy... pic.twitter.com/Tr5VfJttln

— Vincent McAviney (@VinnyITV) October 20, 2015

Or perhaps it was Corbyn’s choice of music:

When you're on the tube and someone's headphones are leaking freeform jazz (pic via @JamieRoss7) pic.twitter.com/pt408m1JwG

— Mark Wallace (@wallaceme) October 20, 2015

Or perhaps it’s this corker:

Forcing out a fart while everyone else has headphones on. Textbook. pic.twitter.com/Wo1lC2qxkN

— Doug (@unslugged) October 20, 2015

Koo Robson thought it was Corbyn who looked thoroughly uncomfortable:

Just reading the body language of Corbyn - I don't like Cameron and I feel inadequate.

— Koo Robson (@UlkuR) October 20, 2015

Then commentators were left wondering why Cameron wasn’t wearing a headset? Does he understand mandarin?

Either Cameron speaks Chinese or he doesn't give a fuck what President Xi is saying... pic.twitter.com/vC12WOEO3a

— Mikey Smith (@mikeysmith) October 20, 2015

Does Bercow and Cameron understand Chinese? Both of them are listening to President Xi's speech without translation pic.twitter.com/jPF1nWubt8

— Matt Dathan (@matt_dathan) October 20, 2015

No, he just had an earpiece.

Well they all look like they're having the best afternoon ever. pic.twitter.com/KCYS2xtdDE

— Richard James (@richjamesuk) October 20, 2015

There was more awkwardness:

All sorts going on here pic.twitter.com/BDGp8Bov5p

— Steve Gardner (@sgardner) October 20, 2015

But in reality, this is probably most plausible explanation of what was going on:

David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn try to figure out the plot of Inception. https://t.co/dKxMN6VP4C

— Kate (@mavericktea) October 20, 2015