The Commons Leader held his mobile phone close to the microphone near the despatch box and pressed play, ensuring MPs heard the words: “When Britain first, at heaven’s command.” Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle intervened to joke Mr Rees-Mogg had broken the values of the House, and teased: “How dare he.”
Mr Rees-Mogg added: “I of course apologise for any offence I may have given the House, but when Britain first, at heaven’s command, arose from out the azure main, this was the anthem of the land and guardian angels sang this strain.
“Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves, and Britons never, never, never shall be slaves. And let us hope the BBC will recognise the virtues of Britannia in this land of hope and glory.”
Rule, Britannia! and Land Of Hope And Glory will now be sung at the concert at the Royal Albert Hall, following weeks of debate.
More to follow…
