Jacob Rees-Mogg has urged the next prime minister to slash back the government’s role as a prize of Brexit, suggesting it should not “deliver certain functions at all”.
A strong supporter of Liz Truss to win the race for No 10, the arch-Brexiteer called for “a re-thinking of the British state” – arguing mere cuts in public spending will not go far enough.
The Leave campaign won the 2016 campaign partly on a promise to boost spending, notably by £350m-a-week on the NHS, but Mr Rees-Mogg is pointing to a different agenda.
“Our departure from the European Union necessitates a re-thinking of the British state,” the minister for Brexit opportunities has written in a newspaper article.
“This means going beyond ministers looking for fiscal trims and haircuts and considering whether the state should deliver certain functions at all.”
It comes after Ms Truss vowed to press the accelerator on ripping up thousands of EU regulations if she wins power, which has raised fears that protections will disappear.
The Liberal Democrats said the comments would “raise fears that the worst damage to relations with our neighbours is not yet done”.
Mr Rees-Mogg argued tearing back the state’s role would allow the next government to help people with rocketing energy bills, which the leadership race favourite has said she will do through tax cuts.
“As a supporter of Liz Truss to become prime minister I am a strong advocate of the benefit of tax cuts to the economy and to the British consumer,” he wrote in The Daily Telegraph.
The call was endorsed by another senior Truss backer, former Brexit minister David Frost, who is expected to be given a leading role in her administration.
Mr Rees-Mogg was “absolutely right about the need to "rethink the British state" after Brexit”, Lord Frost said.
Layla Moran, the Lib Dem foreign affairs spokeswoman, said: “Rather than try to dismantle the British state, maybe Rees-Mogg should try and tear down the huge amounts of red tape which have been erected thanks to the Conservatives’ trade deal with Europe.”
The Best for Britain better democracy campaign group seized on Mr Mogg claiming £4bn had been found from his efficient drive – arguing it was too little to avoid dramatic cuts.
“It will likely lead to the civil service to stop delivering functions including essential public services that Tory governments continue to run into the ground,” said Naomi Smith, its chief executive.
The call comes after the respected Institute for Fiscal Studies warned that big spending cuts are inevitable if Ms Truss pursues the £30bn-plus of tax cuts she plans, calling them unrealistic.
Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, said: “There’s nothing ‘efficient’ about cutting frontline services already overwhelmed by backlogs when families are already struggling to make ends meet.
“Now Liz Truss is pledging yet more cuts which will only worsen the backlogs we already have in courts, airports and GPs, leaving people waiting even longer for passports, driving licences, and vital appointments.”
uk.yahoo.com/news/jacob-rees-mogg-says-government-111435632.html
Esspee, I’d second all that, and would add (not my idea, I’ve pinched it from somewhere) that any earnings from other jobs are deducted from their MP or ministerial salary and expenses.
I haven’t had time to read the full thread but might I be the first to suggest that they close all the bars in Westminster, ban alcohol from every government office and function, remove alcohol from expenses, remove the subsidy on food in Westminster and any other government offices, stop subsidising MPs second homes in London and instead provide travel lodge type accommodation, stop allowing expense claims for utilities etc.
For those who are saying that really wouldn’t raise a huge amount perhaps you have a point but how can MPs understand the concerns of the electorate when they don’t experience real life from the time they are elected?
Healthcare and welfare has to be paid for somehow, and I’d rather this be a collective social responsibility, than dependent on charity from the philanthropic wealthy, for those deemed “worthy”.
I would rather have an increase in taxes than go bankrupt if needing medical treatment in a privatised health service, and see others in the same situation.
MaggsMcG
Everything will be OK in May 2024 when wecan expect tax increases beyond measure to pay for everything we want free.
Well if increases to our taxes mean that we are paying for everything, nothing will be free, will it?
This is what I mean. Can people not work this out?
You could still quite happily travel from the South of England to the North of Scotland and no-one would know if you did not use a mobile phone or credit card. GrammyGrammy.
What's your problem?
Everything will be OK in May 2024 when wecan expect tax increases beyond measure to pay for everything we want free.
Yet many will still vote Conservative and blame the Labour government of 10 years ago for its issues...disgusting
and until not very long ago, we had the mazing freedom to travel all over Europe too - wasn't that real freedom?
GrammyGrammy
It would be absolutely wonderful of the state would back off out of our lives to a large extent! When we were young one could travel incognito from the south coast of England to the top of Scotland and no-one would know where you were at any point. That is FREEDOM. Rolling back this marxist distorted fat and lazy controlling nanny state out of much of our lives would be fabulous. Cameron hijacked people who volunteered in their communities and over powered them with rules and turned them into slave labour. Any activity in public spaces need paid for licences and permissions and it all needs to stop. There are so many ways that we could do with the state backing off.
This sounds like a very personal list of complains. What on earth has happened to the poster to lead them to call the Conservative government Marxist?
GrammyGrammy
Not sure what you mean. As far as I know we can still travel around the UK freely.
Unfortunately in our so called democracy there is no easy way of stopping them until the next election, and we have to stand helplessly by whilst they set about dismantling our health and welfare services al La Rees Mogg.
Not Minister for Levelling Up which has been suggested, he will probably be Minister for Workhouses and Soup Kitchens.
Despite the tens of £1000s spent on his education , he's failed miserably as a politician, secondary modern John Major was a better politician and ooh how embarrassing - he got to the very top too on his state funded crap education !I bet JRMs jealous as hell
Most of this lot will be dead and buried within 30 years and their legacy of sheer greed and incompetence will have far longer damaging consequences. Can we please make sure that they never darken our lives again? Heath/Thatcher/May/Johnson gang of 4 life wreckers and now destroying UK as if there's no tomorrow which will be the case if they're not stopped and sharpish too!
Assuming that the Truss Rod is our next PM the country will sink even further and I think that Labour or an alliance of the LP and the Lib Dems and others will win the next GE. However, I fear the additional damage that she will do during the intervening period.
Whitewavemark2
GrammyGrammy
It would be absolutely wonderful of the state would back off out of our lives to a large extent! When we were young one could travel incognito from the south coast of England to the top of Scotland and no-one would know where you were at any point. That is FREEDOM. Rolling back this marxist distorted fat and lazy controlling nanny state out of much of our lives would be fabulous. Cameron hijacked people who volunteered in their communities and over powered them with rules and turned them into slave labour. Any activity in public spaces need paid for licences and permissions and it all needs to stop. There are so many ways that we could do with the state backing off.
What are you talking about!
GrammyGrammy
How can you call the state Marxist when it's been run by the Tories for 12 years or so.
I don't think you need to get a licence to have sex in a public space. You might get prosecuted for your behaviour, if caught. As far as I'm aware you can still picnic in the park if you so wish.
JRM who moved some of his companies to Ireland to retain the benefits of being in the EU. Brexit was only for "other" people obviously
There are also quite a few Conservative MPs that have links to the US private healthcare industry so I think that privatization of the NHS will be a big target for the Conservatives - Liz Truss is in favour of this
In France since 2019 you have to declare all foreign accounts held with a fine of 1,500€ per account for not doing so.
If the account is held in a country which doesn't have a convention with France to fight fraud, then the fine is 10,000€
I remember at the time of introduction there were a few red
faces when accounts were unveiled of notable persons
especially in Swiss accounts.
CathSoc62
Jacob Rees Mogg - hard line catholic ( sixth child called Sixtus ! ) brought up by nanny and nicknamed ‘ the honourable member for the 18th century ‘. Does anyone SERIOUSLY listen to him ?
JRM is a very interesting character - he plays this persona/role of Lord of the Manor/Old money - but he rarely mentions the side of his family where his grandfather was a lorry driver and car salesman
I don't know why - many Conservatives would love the "from lorry driver to town Mayor self made family narrative" but JRM seems to prefer to ignore it
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/22/jacob-rees-mogg-roots-conservative-mp
suenanny
Just throwing this in here. Has anyone seen or heard of any actual benefit of leaving the EU? Maybe Mr Reese Mogg could enlighten us.
Just see the thread title. Rees Mogg says that an advantage of leaving the EU is that the state could slash some of its functions.
Which is very weird when you think about it, because one of the reasons given in favour of leaving the EU was that EU rules meant that we weren't free to nationalise any industries. So why couldn't we have 'slashed state functions' while we were still members? There weren't any EU 'rules' about maintaining state functions.
One of the most striking things about Brexit and its supporters is the complete incoherence of their ideas... And their ability to claim that black is white...
Truss said that the NHS should not be put on a pedestal. That reflects her attitude to a public service which has saved countless people from death and disability as well as helping those with painful long term illness, a service instituted by a Labour government. If you live in the US - a fully capitalist state - you are likely to be saddled with enormous heath bills. The Tories would like to dismantle the NHS - why otherwise are they failing to recruit much needed medical and other staff and capping the number of medical school places so some of our best A level students are shut out? Where are the 40 new new hospitals promised by Johnson? It's obvious ordinary people are at the bottom of the Tory agenda.
Nothing to stop you travelling from the south of England to north of Scotland incognito - there aren’t any border checks yet. You’d have to have a large police force to deport all those criminals - oops police are agents of the state aren’t they and we can’t have that in our free for all no state society. Let’s get rid of gun laws as well shall we? Then we will truly be like the Wild West .
Just throwing this in here. Has anyone seen or heard of any actual benefit of leaving the EU? Maybe Mr Reese Mogg could enlighten us.
I believe that anyone who votes for or supports the Tories in any way is acting immorally. This winter we will see civil unrest. What is happening is terrifying. Forces are in control that are completely unprincipled. They are lying, they know we know they are lying, and they do not care, for they have the power - and that's ALL they care about. I am 71 and I have NEVER seen anything like this. Even some of the police are going to food banks - and these are the people who will have to quell the riots when they come. Oh! silly me! I forgot that Priti Patel is going to stop protests taking place! It was largely fear of Corbyn that got us in this state. I am no supporter of his but at least he is a man of principle. Hands in our pockets? Our pockets will be totally empty, by the time we've paid for food, fuel, and - in time - visits to the doctor. Be afraid, be very afraid....
Just seen Rees Mogg touted on Twitter as the next Levelling up Secretary! Like putting the Child Catcher from CCBB in charge of schools, perhaps there are plans for that too ?
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