Rees-mogg kept in check by a wooden spoon, says nanny

JACOB REES-MOGG has always been known for his impeccable manners. But as a boy the prominent Tory MP had to be threatened with a wooden spoon to keep him in check, his nanny of 53 years has revealed.

Discussing life in the Rees-mogg household for the first time, Veronica Crook, 76, recalled how the leader of the Conservative Eurosceptics could be very “stubborn” as a child, and she had on occasion been forced to resort to cautioning him with the kitchen utensil.

In an interview in Mail on Sunday, Ms Crook, who was hired by the late newspaper editor William Rees-mogg to look after his children in 1965, says she helped instil in the future MP a sense of “honesty, kindness and thoughtfulness for other people”.

Ms Crook chose to speak out days after she was forced to shield Mr Reesmogg’s children from hard-left protesters from the anarchist group Class War who targeted her “exploitative” employment. Asked about the incident, she said: “In terms of pay and conditions, I am very satisfied.”

Ms Crook, an avid supporter of Brexit, said her employer would make an “excellent prime minister”.