Ed Balls gets standing ovation for 'desperate' Strictly dance

Former shadow chancellor Ed Balls received a standing ovation for an energetic Charleston performance on Strictly Come Dancing.

The ex-Labour MP, who lost his seat at last year's general election, found himself bottom of the show's leaderboard heading into the second week.

But on Saturday evening, Balls, 49, put in a performance to The Banjo's Back in Town that was heralded as a "comeback that Tony Blair would be proud of" by judge Bruno Tonioli.

Balls even found himself the subject of support from the Conservative party, with George Osborne tweeting "Come on @edballs!".

Meanwhile, Labour MP Liz Kendal posted: "Go go go @edballs !! Fab performance, gave it loads of welly, love the jazz hands too! #glitterballs #scd #craigiswrong".

Balls, whose wife and Labour MP Yvette Cooper was in the audience, was given another cheer when he hit back at head judge Len Goodman's remarks that he had "gone to the country before and didn't do very well".

Balls snapped back: "We did win three elections."

Meanwhile, Craig Revel Horwood said the performance had an "air of desperation".

But despite his performance, Balls remains bottom of the leaderboard after two weeks of the competition.