George Osborne jokes about tears over Today headlines

Video caption, George Osborne was asked about crying on the Today programme

George Osborne has joked that he has been moved to tears in the past after listening to the 大象传媒's Today programme.

Asked by presenter John Humphrys whether he cried regularly, the chancellor said he "occasionally got a tear in his eye", sometimes when hearing headlines on the Radio 4 show.

Mr Osborne was caught on camera with a tear rolling down his cheek at Baroness Thatcher's funeral last week.

The funeral had been a "very emotional and moving occasion", he explained.

Mr Osborne said it was overstating it to suggest he had been "weeping" in St Paul's.

But he acknowledged that he had "welled up a bit" after finding the occasion "overwhelming".

"The combination of the sermon and the music made for a very powerful and emotional moment," he said, adding that the funeral had been fitting and in many ways a great occasion.

The chancellor has spoken of his admiration for the former prime minister, who died earlier this month aged 87.