Justice secretary Ken Clarke and justice minister Jonathan Djanogly appeared in the House of Commons to answer MPs’ questions last week, in an apparently lively session.

Speaker John Bercow (pictured) was on particularly good form. After Djanogly gave a verbose (non) reply to a pertinent question about whether there will be any new funding for the voluntary sector, given it is expected essentially to replace legal aid (Djanogly’s answer was not, Obiter regrets, worth reproducing here), the speaker said, in a line worthy of Sir Humphrey: ‘I appreciate the comprehensiveness of the replies, but greater economy would facilitate progress.’

Later Ken, who must have been standing in the wrong position, was also the target of Bercow’s wit: ‘I have been listening keenly to the secretary of state’s every word for the best part of two decades, but I want the whole House to hear him, so may I remind him he must face the House,’ he quipped.

Djanogly also copped it from John Mann, Labour MP for Worksop, for an earlier cockup over an announcement. Mann said: ‘In a statement to the House, [Djanogly] said Worksop county court would be transferring to Worksop magistrates’ court, and he confirmed that in answer to my question. In fact, the opposite has happened. Is he the kind of minister who is in control of his department and is his word his authority when he speaks to this House, or is he the monkey to his civil servants' organ grinder?’

Ouch.

The minister retorted that ‘the honourable gentleman speaks with his usual charm’, before adding he was ‘sorry for any misunderstanding or inaccuracy’. So that’s alright, then.