Jacob Rees-Mogg laughs as he is unable to name leader of Welsh Conservatives
Commons leader asked if he could name Andrew RT Davies
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Jacob Rees-Mogg was unable to name the leader of the Welsh Conservatives when asked in parliament.
The Commons leader was asked if he could name Andrew RT Davies by Cardiff West MP Kevin Brennan at Business Questions on Thursday.
It comes after Mr Rees-Mogg, MP for North East Somerset, called Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross a ālightweight figureā in the party on television on Wednesday night.
His comments followed a call from Mr Ross for the prime minister to resign.
Mr Brennan asked: āFollowing his disparaging remarks about the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, can we have a statement from him about exactly what he meant by that?
āFor example, does he think the leader of the Welsh Conservatives is a lightweight figure? And can he name him?ā
After briefly laughing and then remaining silent for a moment, Mr Rees-Mogg replied: āThe Secretary of State for Wales is called Simon Hart.ā
Mr Davies was first elected leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd in 2011 before resigning in 2018. He was reappointed last January.
He was among the Tories to show support for Boris Johnson following a crushing Prime Ministerās Questions on Wednesday, tweeting: āPeople are hurt, angry and let down at the events of the past 48 hours, and the prime minister has rightly apologised. The inquiry by the senior civil servant, Sue Gray, must now be expedited to establish the full facts and report the findings as soon as possible.
āItās vital the PM continues his work on the booster roll out, which has been world-leading, so we can get Britain on the road to recovery and free from restrictions.ā