Jacob Rees Flog-it MP’s signed items save student Tory group
STUDENT Tories at Bristol University have managed to stave off the threat of bankruptcy – by selling items signed by Jacob Rees-Mogg.
Members of the Bristol University Conservative Association (BUCA) claimed they were faced with insolvency after being hit with a £500 bill for hosting the North Somerset MP at an event on campus earlier this year.
They were charged the fee by Bristol University, who had to lay on additional security after Mr Rees-Mogg was accosted by protesters at a similar event at the University of the West of England (UWE).
In order to pay the bill, BUCA decided to ask Mr Rees-Mogg for his help – by getting him to sign items which could then be sold off.
This included a bucket hat, books and cricket bats.
Robert Porter, BUCA vice-president, said they chose the items in order to appeal to a “range of potential buyers”.
“Following Mr Rees-Mogg’s visit to talk at a BUCA event in February, the society was handed an extensive security bill from the university,” he said.
“Including VAT, it was around £600. Very simply – we’d have been unable to exist as a society if we hadn’t found some way of paying this money off.
“We brainstormed, and we came upon the idea of contacting Mr Rees-Mogg to get him to sign items which we could then auction off.
“We knew that he is hugely sup- portive of free speech on campus and is only around a short train ride away, so it would be logistically easy to organise.
“The items we chose were designed to appeal to a range of potential buyers.
“The bucket hat, for example, is hugely popular among Bristol students. However, the books had a broader appeal from Mogg enthusiasts across the country.”
The items were sold via an online auction, which raised more than £670 for the student Tories.
The bucket hat – described online as “the must have item for every wavy festival goer” – went for £69.50 while the cricket bats raised more than £200.
“Mr Rees-Mogg couldn’t have been more helpful,” Robert added.
“He’s obviously a busy guy, particularly at the moment, but we really appreciate him spending a bit of time chatting with us and signing the auction.
“Out target was simply to recoup some of the security costs. We didn’t anticipate making a profit, so we were delighted when we realised we had made one.
“The money will be reinvested into the society.”