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UK PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson has appointed Jacob Rees Mogg as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council.
He’s just spoken for the first time as a member of the government in the UK parliament – and answered questions about proroguing parliament. Johnson has hinted before that he would be in favour of suspending parliament in order to pass through a no-deal Brexit, which MPs have voted strongly against before.
Rees-Mogg has been the leader of the arch-Brexiteer faction of Conservatives, the European Research Group (ERG), who were partially responsible for May’s resignation. The group of Tory rebels voted against Theresa May’s government repeatedly, which ultimately lead to a stalemate crisis in the British parliament.
He’s now Leader of the House of Commons, taking over from Andrea Leadsom. The role involves setting the UK government’s agenda in the House of Commons for the day – meaning they choose the legislation that is to be debated and voted on.
Rees-Mogg was appointed to the Cabinet role last night; he was told the news first by the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg. “You’re better informed than I am, I don’t know anything,” is how he responded when he was told.
UK Prime Minister / TwitterJacob Rees-Mogg @Jacob_Rees_Mogg has been appointed Lord President of the Council, and Leader of the House of Commons @CommonsLeader. He will also attend Cabinet. pic.twitter.com/6epCCYiJ2i
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) July 24, 2019
First on his agenda
As he rose to give the Business Statement, an MP shouted “resign”, to which Rees-Mogg responded “it’s a bit early…”
Labour MP Valerie Vaz welcomed him to the role, and asked him whether he could rule out proroguing parliament, as well as what else would appear on his agenda.
In his first statement to the House, Rees-Mogg said that the issue about prorogation “was marvelous”.
“The honourable lady asked for a new session and said when would this session end, and then asked me that we wouldn’t prorogue – well we can’t have both, because we can’t get a new session without proroguing.”
“Though my right honourable friend the Prime Minister views the issue of prorogation as an archaic mechanism, and does not wish to see archaic mechanisms used,” Rees-Mogg said to the response of laughter from MPs.
As I am now bound by collective responsibility that is now also my view.
MP Angela Eagle, who’s a former shadow leader, told Rees-Mogg that he’s to be “the voice of parliament in the Cabinet rather than just the voice of Cabinet in this place” and asked him to make a clearer statement against a “chaotic” prorogation. He responded:
I take that part of my role extremely seriously. I have a somewhat romantic view of the Commons… However, this House passed into law the Withdrawal Act and the Article 50 Act and we only speak of you by legislation, we do not speak of you by mere motion. Mere motion cannot and must not overturn statute law.
Because if that were to happen, we would not have a proper functioning representative democracy, we would have an erratic, changeable and irregular system of government.
An ardent Boris backer MP Ian Duncan Smith said that Rees-Mogg would give a “modulated and moderate tones to these debates”.
“But one thing is for certain Mr Speaker, is that this place in business questions will now be an absolute must to have a seat.”
People have said that the debates between Rees-Mogg and the Speaker of the House John Bercow will be a spectacle in the next term of parliament.
About Rees-Mogg
Having served as an MP since 2012, Rees-Mogg has gathered attention as a Victorian era-esque politician through the manner in which he speaks and his deeply conservative views.
Under Cameron’s government, he opposed his party on issues like same-sex marriage.
In February 2012, Rees-Mogg used the word “floccinaucinihilipilification” – meaning “the habit of considering as worthless” - which was noted as the longest word then uttered on the floor of the House of Commons.
His sister is an MEP for the Brexit Party – the Tory party’s newest election rivals.
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We’re getting a new ghostbusters reboot next year can the villain be this Victorian ghost Mogg
A gret man and a good Catholic. I hope and pray that one day he will be the British Prime Minister.
@: the ignorance, both literal and figurative, of your first sentence says far point than your point, such as it is, ever could.
@GrahamMManning: I’d say your a bit lost on the sarcasm yourself there dexter
@John kane: sarcasm through text? Oh sure wasn’t it only obvious to everybody?
@Cormac Ó Braonáin: well yea, it is obvious. Considering who we’re talking about
@Cormac Ó Braonáin: I thought it was obvious, in fairness
@: insect
Personal wealth estimated in the tens of millions. All this is only a hobby for him
@Raymond Dennehy: what’s your point?
So your assumption is that every TD and MP is only there for the money, not the people, and anybody who has plenty of money must only be there as a hobby?
Have you ever heard of political conviction? Some voters tend to think it’s important.
@Raymond Dennehy: also a politician who is not easily swayed for monetary reasons/motives is more appealing to me.
@Mushy Peas: Well, it’s certainly true that due to his enormous wealth he is protected from the negative economic impact of Brexit.
Isn’t it remarkable that the vast majority of the Brexit “leaders” are all incredibly wealthy, why it’s almost like they know they’ll not be impacted by a No Deal scenario……. but will benefit from being outside the EU’s legal reach for offshore accounts…….
@Tricia G: him not being affected economically is a very fair point and I think his position on No Deal is reckless.
But just because the identifiable Brexit leaders tend to be wealthy doesn’t mean there is issue with the standpoint. Labour MPs such as John Mann and Dennis Skinner are very pro leaving the EU and represent poor constituency’s and are individually far from “wealthy”.
@Raymond Dennehy: sorry to keep addressing this, but would you prefer that Rees-Mogg just spends his money on political parties and buying politicians or would you prefer he stands in the democratic system and airs his views, as he has done so.
If the people of North East Somerset thought he was doing it as a hobby, they can chuck him out as an MP in an election.
@Raymond Dennehy: they’re all there for the money
@Mushy Peas: your nievete would be refreshing if it wasn’t so pathetic. Reese-mogg isn’t motivated by anything such as public service or the welfare of the common man. It’s motivated by greed and self interest, pure and simple. He lives in his wife’s stately home. And has a company registered in the Cayman Islands, which is why he was so keen that Britain left the Eu before their new tax laws came into effect exposing him to a huge tax liability!
@Tricia G: as are the remain mps
@John Paul: “the donald” doesn’t draw a wage.
@Colm O’Leary: i don’t like to call out spelling mistakes, but since you aimed your comment at me, I may as well, it’s naivety*.
Secondly, I disagree with your assessment, he espouses a political outlook that resonates with many people. Just because he was born with a silver spoon doesn’t mean he doesn’t speak for millions.
He has argued, rightly or wrongly, that Brexit will benefit the lower classes.
Perhaps we just disagree on political outlooks.
@Mushy Peas: it’s a game to him thou fool. Thou idiot
Surely the make up of the new British Cabinet is reason enough for Spiting Image to return
@Stephen Kearon: The Healy-Rae’s would be great on it, too!
People like him are the reason people believe in lizard people..
@ianglen: From Cork?
You can’t fog the Mogg. This man is a constitutional and procedural expert. He will be a great asset to PM Johnson. He is also very eloquent and has a great sense of humour. I highly recommend viewing his podcasts on LBC radio.
@Alan Fahy: It would be funny if it weren’t so serious.
It’s all a game to them
@The Guru: because they won’t suffer
Tory school boys now run the uk govt
@Peter Sutton Fitzgibbon: They always did. Tory or otherwise.
Out of the last 15 British Prime Ministers 11 went to Oxford.
Gordon Brown went to Edinburgh Uni
Churchill went to Sandhurst
Callaghan gained the Senior Oxford Certificate in 1929, but could not afford entrance to university and instead sat the Civil Service entrance exam.
John Major also did not attend Uni.
@Peter Sutton Fitzgibbon: Most, though not all, also went to private Grammer schools with Eton being the most common.
@Tricia G: Grammar schools have an entrance exam and admit the most intelligent and gifted, sporting included, children. Grammar schools accept children from poverty and offer grants.
It’s a meritocracy. Is that not what we should be striving for, the most intelligent leaders. As you noted, many of Labour MPs have also gone to the top universities.
@Mushy Peas: Oh I’m sorry, did you miss the part where they attended Fee paying Grammar Schools? Schools where they had the opportunity to make connections, receive far more focused attention, access to better facilities etc.
It’s hardly controversial to recognise that children that receive a more privileged upbringing with private schooling tend to gain more confidence, have far more opportunities and tend to be more successful. In fact they become the adults that feel they belong at places like Oxford.
That isn’t a meritocracy! That’s privilege stemming from having wealthy parents.
No one is saying it’s all former leaders, but you cannot seriously be trying to suggest that the majority got there because, regardless of their upbringing and educational opportunities, they were somehow “smarter” than others!
@Mushy Peas: it’s the very opposite of meritocracy ffs….Moggs father was a lord himself the son of a landed gentry.
@Tricia G:
Oxford university provided the Prime Ministers, Cambridge university provided the spies..which of the universities caused the most harm has not been calculated to date.
He’s a good Catholic boy.
They’re embarrassing … it’s the muppet show with thick, stiff, inflexible rods up their back sides
@Skybloo: Yes – the Raes and our guys are much funnier….
@Seb Bowyer: there’s a spectrum of extremes
@Skybloo: Perhaps – which is the most embarrassing though? The Raes shade it for us, I think.
@Seb Bowyer: the massive difference is, the Healy Raes dont run Ireland.
still reminds me of ‘walter the softie’ from dennis the menace in the beano !
He had the hots for Margaret Thatcher, loved everything about her.
@WoodlandBard: She was about 50 years older¡¡
@WoodlandBard: Didn’t we all
@WoodlandBard: so did Ronald Reagan
He has an uncanny likeness to Dev?
@Der Lowbridge: Reincarnation
Mogg!!!
https://youtu.be/szGxq3pvJPQ . This proves that Jacob Rees mogg will sort everything
have your say