Ian Hislop's 56th birthday: The most razor-sharp takedowns from Britain's most acerbic journalist

A look at Hislop's most shrewdly astute broadsides on his birthday

Hislop mocked the Conservative chancellor Mr Osborne after he was defeated over the tax credit reduction by the House of Lords (Getty)

If there is one thing Ian Hislop is not afraid of it is speaking his mind. The Have I Got News for You team captain and Private Eye editor dubbed "the Dalai Lama of satire" is known for his pithy, compelling and sharp takedowns.

From his whimsical analysis of the Conservative Chancellor George Osborne to his cutting quips about Donald Trump, Hislop manages to straddle the serious and the humorous. Here is a selection of his most memorable on his 56th birthday.

Iraq War

Following the recent Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war, Hislop made a critical point about the ongoing violence occurring in Iraq 13 years after British and American troops invaded the country.

“It’s just worth remembering 250 people died last weekend in one bomb blast in Baghdad. One,” he told the audience on Question Time.

“Yes we’ve got to learn lessons about ourselves, but there are pretty huge repercussions in Iraq and there’s some very good foreign correspondent reports at the moment saying: ‘Do you know they’re not that bothered about our soul searching, they’re just still angry’.”

George Osborne

Hislop mocked the Conservative chancellor George Osborne after he was defeated over the tax credit reduction by the House of Lords.

After Have I Got News for You host David Tenant asked who was particularly red faced about the defeat, Hislop responded with: “I’m trying to think who was red in the face, apart from George Osborne but he doesn’t [go red] because he hasn’t got any blood.”

The show then broadcast a clip of Mr Osborne, in which he repeated the monotone phrases “let’s be clear”, “this raises constitutional issues” and “unelected labour and independent peers voted down” four times without adjusting either his facial expression or his tone.

“There’s a switch on his back,” Hislop chipped in.

Ian Hislop today rejected calls for statutory regulation of the press

Donald Trump

Following on-going discussion as to whether Mr Trump should be banned from entering the UK, Hislop gave his twopence on Have I Got News for You. He argued the presumptive Republican presidential leader should not be banned because if he was indeed barred he would claim he was being persecuted for telling the truth.

Hislop said: “[Mr Trump says] ‘No-one wants to listen to these very sensible views, they’re banning me’. All you’ve got to do is listen to his views, and then you realise that you don’t have to listen to them.”

Ian Hislop, Editor of Private Eye (Rex)

Brexit campaign

When asked whether those who voted to Remain in the EU should shut up on Question Time, Hislop responded with the following beautifully succinct takedown.

“After an election or a referendum, even if you lose the vote, you are entitled to go on making the argument. When a government in this country wins an election, the opposition does not say ‘oh that’s absolutely right I’ve got nothing to say for five years.”

“So, for those of us trying really hard over the last few weeks to follow what on earth is happening in this country: the Leave vote has left us with a group of leaders who, having lit the fire, have run away saying someone else can clear up the mess; the Prime Minister who put us in the mess has resigned; everybody is gone; all the people who put their cross down for Leave saying ‘this is what we want‘ – they seem to be getting a group of people who say ‘we can’t stop immigration, we can’t get £350 million, oh and there might be quite a lot of austerity… sorry, bye!’”