BORIS Johnson has led the tributes to Prince Philip in the House of Commons by repeating some of his most well-known gaffes.

The Prime Minister said the Duke of Edinburgh had had an "unparalleled career" and had "touched the lives of millions".

He also said members of his cabinet had recalled taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh awards scheme, joking that he would allow MPs to "speculate who claims to have got a gold ward, and who got a bronze."

Mr Johnson paid tribute to the Duke's innovative spirit, adding: "He was one of the first people in this country, to use a mobile phone.

"In the 1970s he was driving an electric taxi on the streets of London, the forerunner of the modern low carbon fleet. And again, a vehicle of his own specifications.

"He wasn't content just to be a carriage driver. He played a large part in pioneering and to define the sport of competitive carriage driving."

Touching on the Duke's infamous gaffes Mr Johnson said: "It is true that he occassionally drove a coach and horses through the finer points of diplomatic protocol.

"He told a British student in Papua New Guinea that he was lucky not to be eaten, and the people of Cayman Islands that they were descended from pirates, and that he would like to go to Russia, except that, as he put it, 'the b******s murdered half my family'.

"The world did not hold it against him. On the contrary, they overwhelmingly understood that he was trying to break the ice, to get things moving, to get people laughing, and to be less nervous.'

Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, praised Prince Philip's Duke of Edinburgh awards scheme.

He said: "In recent days, I’ve been struck by the countless stories of lives turned around by the Duke of Edinburgh awards, young people who found their confidence, and found their way.

"This was summed up by a 14-year girl old girl, who said, on passing her Bronze Award, that she felt 'I can do anything now'. 

"The Duke of Edinburgh now covers 130 countries and has helped millions of people around the world.

"It is perhaps the best symbol of the Duke’s global legacy."

Theresa May said that the duke “understood the requirements of responsibility” and the demands of duty.

She told the Commons: “Perhaps the most important aspect of his life was his absolute commitment to supporting Her Majesty the Queen. I know it is in no way comparable but I know how important it is to have a husband, a partner who is a source of strength and a rock in time of trouble.

“As a hugely talented person, Prince Philip could have been enormously successful in his own right but he put his life to ensuring the success of his wife.

“It was that willingness to put himself second and to serve, to understand the importance of duty and to exercise it day in and day out. That will be his true lasting legacy and which should be an inspiration to us all.

“And all of us here in the UK and across the Commonwealth have so much to be grateful to him for and we say thank you. He understood the requirements of responsibility, the demands of duty and the sacrifices of service.

“We will never see his like again, may he rest in peace and rise in glory.”