The Lib Dems said Rishi Sunak should suspend the whip from Rees-Mogg over his comments
Jacob Rees-Mogg has laid out his vision for the Conservative Party of the future, and it involves welcoming Reform UK into the ranks ahead of an election and appointing a senior role for Boris Johnson.
“It’s time to reunite the right,” said the Tory MP for North East Somerset as he called on Rishi Sunak to offer candidate selection to senior members of the Reform Party, including Nigel Farage, Ben Habib and Richard Tice.
He claimed that most members of Reform were “not a million miles away from most Conservative voters and members” and that his plan for the Conservative Party was its “only chance of climbing this electoral mountain”.
During his GB News show Moggologue on Tuesday evening, Rees-Mogg went on to suggest that the disgraced former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who quit over the Partygate scandal, should return and take up the post as Foreign Secretary again.
Ben Habib, the Reform UK Co-Deputy Chair who recently suggested the UK should let migrants drown in the Channel, agreed on shared common political ground between the parties however he told Rees-Mogg, “your party doesn’t do what it promises”.
Highlighting an identity crisis in the Tory Party, Rees-Mogg said that uniting the Right could be the only way to stop the party suffering annihilation at the next general election.
The Tory MP had posed the question “what does it mean to be a conservative”, which he went on to state included the values; ‘slashing migration down, stopping the small boats, leaving the European Court of Human Rights, rolling back the green agenda, granting ‘freedom of choice’ and abolishing the Equality Act’.
Conservative Campaign Headquarters told Politico Playbook that they “unequivocally” ruled out Rees-Mogg’s suggestion, while the Lib Dems have demanded the Prime Minister suspend the whip from Rees-Mogg over his comments.
Lib Dem Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper said: “The Conservative Party is a shambolic mess. Rishi Sunak’s MPs are in open revolt and he does not have the backbone to stand up to them.
“If the Prime Minister had any bottle he would suspend the whip from Rees-Mogg and rule out Nigel Farage being allowed into the Conservative Party.
“The public is sick to the back teeth of this endless Conservative soap opera as they watch the NHS crumble, filthy sewage pumped into their waterways and their mortgages spiral.
“Rishi Sunak should put us all out of our misery and call a general election.”
To reach hundreds of thousands of new readers we need to grow our donor base substantially.
That's why in 2024, we are seeking to generate 150 additional regular donors to support Left Foot Forward's work.
We still need another 117 people to donate to hit the target. You can help. Donate today.