Yes, Mr. Cameron admitted on Wednesday in response to a reporter’s question during an extraordinary news conference at 10 Downing Street, under the circumstances he did indeed regret having once declared his favorite joke to be “Nick Clegg.”

“We’re all going to have things that we said thrown back at us,” Mr. Cameron said, as Mr. Clegg, who has in the past said some nasty things of his own about his new boss, feigned hurt feelings.

Mr. Cameron said that he had moved on from partisan rancor and was looking at “the bigger picture.” He added, “And if it means swallowing some humble pie, and if it means eating some of your words, I cannot think of a more excellent diet.”