Jacob Rees-Mogg defeated in literal war of words... by a schoolboy
1 min read
A major chunk of the Jacob Rees-Mogg brand has been blown apart by a teenager in a literal war of words.
Fearsome 16-year-old Michael Bryan deprived the Tory MP of his record for saying the longest word in parliament - proudly held since 2012.
Five years ago Rees-Mogg had crowbarred "floccinaucinihilipilification" - ie the habit of estimating something as worthless - into a Commons debate about EU judges.
But on 14 July Bryan went into battle in a Youth Select Committee hearing and unloaded the 45-letter "pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis".
The term refers to a lung disease caused by inhaling volcanic ash - but it was created specifically to be the longest word in the English language.
Since there is currently no longer word, Rees-Mogg has little choice but to accept defeat.
