AN Andover schoolboy kept Westminster laughing during a joke-telling competition.

William Ma, six, entertained speaker John Bercow and comedian Lee Mack at Parliament.

He travelled to London on Monday to take part in the final of a national joke-telling competition at Speaker’s House in Westminster.

The Roman Way Primary School pupil delighted the judging panel with his joke: “What did the traffic light say to the car? Don’t look now, I’m changing!”

And local MP Sir George Young was also in the audience to cheer him on.

William said: “I’ve really enjoyed it and next year I will enter the competition again.”

However, comedy isn’t one of his career choices, he added: “I don’t want to tell jokes when I grow up. I want to be an inventor.”

Voice Box, a joint initiative by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) and The Communication Trust (TCT), is a joke competition designed to raise awareness of the importance of communication.

Comedian Lee Mack sat on the judging panel along with Kamini Gadhok, CEO of RCSLT, TCT director Anne Fox and nine-year old Conor Heaveron, winner of the 2012 Voice Box in Northern Ireland.

Lee Mack said: “It was great to meet the kids and judge the Voice Box final at the Houses of Parliament.

“I was expecting tears and tantrums but luckily all the MPs were very well behaved.

“I was pleased to see such an important and worthwhile cause as communication needs to be given a platform at Westminster.

I definitely think my job is under threat by this new wave of comedians.”

According to the RCSLT, communication disability is the most common disorder seen in childhood, affecting up to one in ten children.

Kamini Gadhok said: “The aim of Voice Box is to remind people that in every classroom, there are children who need support to help them speak and understand what is being said to them.

“We are very pleased that Westminster provided a platform to support this important issue. It’s been a brilliant day and the children have been inspiring.”