Surprise front runner for Conservative Party leadership, Jacob Rees-Mogg, has made a series of chilling statements while speaking on ITV’s, Good Morning Britain show. Affectionately dubbed the ‘honourable member for the 20th Century’ by right-wing media, Mogg’s interview provided several sharp insights into his way of thinking.
Abortion?
The father of six and staunch Catholic explained that he was opposed to abortion under any circumstances because, “life is sacrosanct and begins at the point of conception.”
When pressed further and questioned whether he extended this analysis to pregnancies occurring as a result of incest or rape, he answered simply, “I’m afraid so.”
Gay Marriage?
Rees-Mogg was also asked to clarify his views on gay marriage, made legal in 2013. He simply stated that he could not support it, as marriage is a “sacrament”.
Reaction
The interview has already aroused a storm of protest on social media with comedian David Schneider writing this, in clear reference to David Cameron:
Why worry about Jacob Rees-Mogg? The last time we fell for a jovial, bumbling upper-class Tory, he drove the whole country off a cliff.
— David Schneider (@davidschneider) September 6, 2017
Meanwhile, football analyst Gary Lineker had this to say:
Jacob Rees-Mogg is entitled to his views however archaic they may be. But hopefully any plans for him to be the next PM will be aborted.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) September 6, 2017
While others were even less charitable:
https://twitter.com/hrtbps/status/905390447580897281
As the pressure on hapless Theresa May mounts, commentators of all stripes examine options for her successor. Rees-Mogg’s comments therefore arrive at an ominous time. Tabloids may portray him as a lovable eccentric but his reactionary views now pose a real danger. This is, after all, no voice from the fringes, but the current favourite to succeed May as PM.
For those worried by the direction of UK politics since Brexit, as extreme views seem to have become normalised, Rees-Mogg personifies much that has gone wrong. With the ultra-traditional DUP / Tory alliance still in power, serious concern is more than justified.
Despite his accent and appearance, Rees-Mogg is no laughing matter. Far from it. Under his stewardship, Britain’s social agenda would head back to the Victorian era.
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