Robert Courts flagged up a major issue this morning at Business Questions. The MP for Witney let Jacob Rees-Mogg and the House know a shameful fact about the Parliamentary estate:

“My right honourable friend will no doubt be distressed to note that the Union Jack above Portcullis House has been flying upside down for some time.”

Courts called for a debate in Government time on the issue, to ascertain “whether in fact the building is in distress, or whether it’s the MPs within it that are in distress?” 

During his answer, Rees-Mogg faced heckles from would-be pedants on the benches opposite, criticising him for referring to the flag as the Union Jack, saying instead it should be called the Union Flag. No doubt they pretty quickly regretted their attempted interventions after Mogg’s riposte…

“Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Mr Speaker, the pedants are wrong, it is the Union Jack and has been referred to for many centuries. There is this pedantic but erroneous view that it should be called the Union Flag, and it is used by people who are more pedantic than they are wise”

Takes a brave MP to attempt to correct the Leader of the House on his English…