Some people find it difficult to believe that Rees-Mogg was totally unaware of the sort of background and views of the senior officers and members of the Traditional Britain Group. Gregory Lauder-Frost, for instance, (with whom he is photographed at the dinner), a man who once shared a platform with the Holocaust-denier David Irving, was a prominent member of the Conservative right wing Monday Club, which the Conservatives later cut ties with because of its racist agenda.
Despite calling for Doreen Lawrence and millions of non-European immigrants to be "voluntarily repatriated" and describing her as "a nobody" who was part of the agenda to fill up the House of Lords with "spivs", it appears he is the dishonourable character - having been imprisoned in 1992 for stealing £110,000 from the NHS where he was employed as payroll manager.
Calum Rupert Heaton-Gent, who was also in the photograph and seated to the right of Rees-Mogg, is a former member of the BNP. He apparently claimed that he wanted to meet "Moggy", whom he described as “his political hero”.
Rees-Mogg says he knew nothing of all this or of these and other Traditional Britain Group's members' stated views and aims. You may conclude that he is a genuine and honest person who was somewhat naive in not finding out more about the group holding the function at which he was to be guest speaker. Or you may conclude that, even if he was totally unaware of the sort of statements made by the Group's members, the Group had formed the opinion that he was broadly supportive of their views and aims, which is why they invited him as guest of honour.