Rees-mogg: PM’S Brexit deal is cloud cuckoo land and will boost Corbyn
THE Tories need to be more like Labour and allow their activists to debate and help to decide policies at the party’s annual conference, Jacob Rees-mogg has said.
The MP, who is tipped as a future Conservative leader, said he wanted grassroots engaging in “real and exciting debates”.
The idea could lead to members influencing party policy, with ministers being forced to respond, in an echo of Labour giving its members a greater role over deciding policy.
Speaking to Chopper’s Brexit Podcast on the fringe of the party’s conference in Birmingham, Mr Reesmogg said more democratic grassroots engagement would energise the party.
He was against members drawing up and voting on complex motions, as it happened at the Labour conference, but he said: “Do I think the conference hall should be debating local motions sent in by associations? Yes absolutely.
“Do I think that most of the speakers should be association members who have been sent by their association? Absolutely. Do I think we should have real and exciting debates to which the secretary of state responds, rather than pre-packaged speeches? Absolutely.”
Once members had debated on issues proposed by activists it would be very difficult for the party not to reflect the debates in party policy.
Observers at this year’s party conference have remarked on how the audience in the hall seems supine and quiet compared to the busy debates in packed fringe meetings.
Mr Rees-mogg added: “We need to go back to a proper debate inside the conference chamber than it all happening at the fringe. But an elected chairman would be a mistake and setting up two rival power bases in the party.”
In the wide-ranging interview, Mr Rees-mogg said that leaving the European Union would make the continent safer because it will strengthen the role of Nato in dealing with the Russia threat. He accused the EU of undermining Nato by developing its own plans for an army. He said: “Our leaving will reinforce Nato because it will be clear that that is the major defence system for continental Europe.
“It also ties the Americans in, which is essential because without the US there is no proper defence of Europe.”
The MP also said that the defence budget should be “increased, mainly by raiding the overseas aid budget”.
Mr Rees-mogg said that leaving the EU will benefit London because EU regulation was making it “less competitive than the rest of the world”.
A no-deal would help poorer families, he said. “Getting rid of tariffs on food, clothing and footwear will help the least well-off in society the most.” Mr Rees-mogg said he did not agree with Brexiteers such as Michael Gove, the Environment Secretary, who believe it is better to leave the EU in March on the basis of the Chequers deal. He said: “This is cloud cuckoo land. The deal we do will remain the deal for at least a generation – it is not going to be easily unpickable or easily changed. If we don’t deliver Brexit we open the door for Jeremy Corbyn.”
Mr Rees-mogg’s family has been the target of protests from Left-wing activists in recent weeks. They daubed the word “scum” on his car last month and told his children: “Your daddy is a
‘Getting rid of tariffs on food, clothing and footwear will help the least well-off in society the most’
totally horrible person.” However the MP brushed off the abuse, saying that his wife Helena – who was in the audience – was “very upset because it did not say Tory scum. If they were going to call her scum they could at least get it right.”
He said his children thought the protester was a “silly old goose”, adding that “they don’t have the arguments – they just want to shout, shout, shout.”