David Cameron faces jibes at home after failing history test on David Letterman’s Late Show

 
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David Cameron was mocked today after failing a British history quiz on an American talk show.

Mr Cameron was the subject of jibes after he was unable to translate the meaning of Magna Carta or identify the composer of Rule, Britannia! on David Letterman’s Late Show.

On Twitter today users queued up to pillory the Prime Minister, who was educated at Eton and Oxford, for failing the general knowledge quiz.

TV historian Mary Beard, a Cambridge don, wrote: “Something to add to list of reasons to learn Latin: ‘So you don’t get caught out if you’re mad enough to go on an American talk show’.”

Labour MP for Hartlepool Iain Wright tweeted: “I know what Magna Carta means and I can even recall when it was signed (June 1215). Thank you comprehensive school education.”

But Boris Johnson, whose own appearance on the show this year saw him face quips about his haircut, spoke out in defence of Mr Cameron.

Mr Johnson, who studied classics at Oxford and also attended Eton, said: “The trouble with Letterman is he’s a comic genius. The show’s about him, not you, and the killer curve ball is only a pitch away.

“For me it was the accusation I cut my own hair, for the PM the Magna Carta. When the PM sat down with his advisers before the show I guarantee you no one would have guessed a British history quiz, albeit a very, very funny one, would have been where the killer pitch lay.” After failing to answer the Magna Carta question Mr Cameron joked: “That is bad, I have ended my career on your show tonight.”

Although Mr Cameron correctly put the date of the Magna Carta at 1215 and place it was signed as Runnymede, he was stumped when asked to translate it into English — it means “Great Charter”. “ Er... You’re testing me now,” he said, before Mr Letterman joked: “ Boy, it would be good if you knew this.”

Asked who composed Rule Britannia, Mr Cameron replied: “You are testing me there. Elgar, I will go for.” Letterman informed him the music was written by Thomas Arne to a poem by James Thomson.

Mr Cameron correctly identified the population of Britain and the countries that make up the UK.

His biggest cheer came when he pointed out that Britain bans political TV advertising.

He said: “I’ve never uttered the words ‘I’m David Cameron and I approve this message’.” Mr Cameron had earlier delivered a speech to the UN General Assembly and held talks with the Pakistani, Afghan, Libyan and Egyptian presidents. Today he was visiting Brazil on a trip to boost UK trade links with one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.

Mr Cameron was being joined in Brazil’s commercial capital Sao Paulo by a 40-strong business delegation and trade minister Lord Green.

During his two-day visit, his first to Brazil as Prime Minister, Mr Cameron will hold talks with president Dilma Rousseff. He will be accompanied by the chairman of the London 2012 Olympic Delivery Authority, Sir John Armitt, for a visit to Rio de Janeiro, host city of the 2016 Games.

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