David Cameron rocks the House with Thin Lizzy

When running the country gets him down, it's an Irish drinking song that gets David Cameron playing air guitar. The Prime Minister has revealed that Thin Lizzy's "Whiskey in the Jar" boasts his favourite riff of all time.

After being banned from liking The Smiths by Morrissey and Johnny Marr, Mr Cameron disclosed his admiration for Phil Lynott's leather-clad Irish rockers. Mr Cameron is supporting Rock the House, a parliamentary music competition to discover new stars, founded by the MP Mike Weatherley.

"I've always loved "Whiskey in the Jar", by Thin Lizzy, as a song with one of the best guitar riffs in the history of rock music," Mr Cameron said. "I have it on iTunes or play it when needing a lift."

A traditional Irish song about a highwayman betrayed by his lover, the song was turned into a galloping rock hit by Thin Lizzy, complete with a famed dual guitar riff and melodic solo, in 1972.

It has been a jukebox favourite since and has been covered by U2, Pulp and Metallica.

Mr Cameron has agreed to nominate an act from his Witney constituency – the Oxfordshire heavy-metal band The Reaper, whose members are aged between 11 and 14 but have already played with Guns N' Roses – to take part in the competition. The finalists, chosen by a panel of industry experts, will compete in a live "battle of the bands".