Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has sent the internet into meltdown with his subtle but effective Halloween costume.

Mr Trudeau turned up to the House of Commons for question time on October 31 in the guise of Clark Kent, aka Superman.

“Have a Super Halloween!” tweeted Mr Trudeau, 45, whose official unveiling of the look was highly-choreographed.

As he bounced down the stairs of the House in a bright blue suit with slicked-back hair he said, “It has to be done”.

Mr Trudeau then pushed his red tie to one side, and opened his shirt buttons with one hand, exposing the famous Superman symbol.

While the PM’s thick-rimmed Clark Kent glasses were probably an early clue as to what was about to go down, assembled staff and journalists were reportedly surprised by his big reveal.

Later the father-of-three did double duty in his Superman costume when he took his youngest son Hadrien (disguised as Paw Patrol character Skye) trick-or-treating at Government House.

A fan of Halloween celebrations, Mr Trudeau’s dress-up history since he won leadership of Canada’s Liberals in 2013 includes a convincing Star Wars Hans Solo costume.

Last year he went as a pilot from the children’s book The Little Prince, with trusty wingman Hadrien as the title character.

Justin Trudeau arrived for House duties today dressed as Clark Kent for Halloween. (via CBC News) pic.twitter.com/iCjUxVov73

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 31, 2017

Mr Trudeau scored praise on social media for his look, with one Twitter user saying, “Not a fan of this guy … but is there any world leader other than him that can pull this off?”

Said another, “Proud to have Clark Kent aka Superman, who BTW, was Canadian, as our PM”.

But others weren’t so thrilled about Mr Trudeau appropriating the identity of a 79-year-old superhero and accused him of “fishing” for media attention.

“It’s a little bit too self-aware,” said Australian site Mashable.

“Superman, really? While Trudeau may be the darling politician to some, his obvious PR moves are getting old real quick.”

Meanwhile, in the US, another famous political scion faced backlash for his own swing at Halloween.

Donald Trump Jr lit up social media with a Twitter post joking about stealing his young daughter’s Halloween lollies for educational reasons.

I’m going to take half of Chloe’s candy tonight & give it to some kid who sat at home. It’s never to early to teach her about socialism. pic.twitter.com/3ie9C0jv2G

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) October 31, 2017

“I’m going to take half of Chloe’s candy tonight and give it to some kid who sat at home. It’s never to [sic] early to teach her about socialism,” tweeted the President’s eldest son, with a photo of his three-year-old dressed as a police officer.

As CNN reported, Mr Trump’s dig at socialism drew a reaction from some on the left. Socialist magazine Jacobin tweeted in response, “Just wait until she finds out about capital income!”