Jacob Rees-Mogg plays 'Rule Britannia!' from mobile phone in parliament

Conservative MP told off by Speaker

Jacob Rees-Mogg played a snippet of the song "Rule, Britannia!" from his mobile phone in the House of Commons on Thursday, celebrating its inclusion at a BBC concert.

The Conservative MP and Commons leader held his mobile phone close to the microphone near the dispatch box and played a recording of the tune, before being briefly admonished by the Speaker Lindsay Hoyle.

It comes after the BBC bowed to pressure from right-wingers and traditionalists to include a sung version of the piece in this year's Last Night of the Proms, despite concern about coronavirus transmission.

The Corporation previously said the piece, along with another song Land of Hope and Glory, would be played only in orchestral form.

The pulling of the songs also coincided with criticism of the song's nationalistic lyrics, which are about the strength of Britain's navy during the era of the empire.

After being admonished for breaching Commons rules, Mr Rees-Mogg told the Speaker: "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."

Mr Rees-Mogg had been asked about the decision by Conservative MP Joy Morrissey, who argued that the original decision to pull the song, rather than the move to reinstate it after an outcry, had been a "virtue-signalling capitulation to political correctness".

Later in Commons Business Questions, Labour MP Kevin Brennan joked of the incident: "I was very disappointed with [Mr Rees-Mogg's] little musical stunt with his mobile phone earlier on - a clear case I thought of Britannia waives the rules."