CABINET Office Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has been spotted in Edinburgh as Scotland goes to the polls in the local elections.
The minister for Brexit opportunities is reportedly working out of the UK Government’s Queen Elizabeth House in the capital on Thursday.
The National asked the Cabinet Office why the top Tory was in Scotland on the day of the local elections, but we were told it was “nothing special”.
According to a spokesperson, Rees-Mogg is simply “working from his Edinburgh office” and that he wouldn’t be undertaking any public duties during his visit.
The National tried to get a photograph of Rees-Mogg but there was no sign of him outside the government building on Thursday afternoon, and security reportedly increased after we put a call into the cabinet office.
However, the MP for North East Somerset did find time in his busy schedule to make a plea for voters to back the Tories on Thursday.
At 12.25pm on Thursday he wrote: “In this land of hope and glory don’t forget to vote Tory.”
The post was accompanied by a campaign poster which reads: “Today is polling day. Vote Conservative for lower council tax and better services.”
The post was heavily ratioed - with only 982 likes, but almost 2000 comments underneath.
In this land of hope and glory don’t forget to vote Tory. pic.twitter.com/r7ZOD5xHWT
— Jacob Rees-Mogg (@Jacob_Rees_Mogg) May 5, 2022
The UK Government’s Edinburgh base, near busy Waverley railway station and the historic Royal Mile, houses offices for around 3000 civil servants from a range of UK Government departments.
These include the Scotland Office, HM Treasury, HM Revenue and Customs, the Information Commissioner’s Office and the Office of the Advocate General.
It spans seven stories and 190,000 square feet and facilities include a purpose-built Cabinet Room for the use of the UK Government – the first to be created outwith London.
Rees-Mogg has recently spearheaded a campaign to get civil servants back into the office, and even clashed with other cabinet ministers over the plan.
The government efficiency minister has written to fellow cabinet members calling on them to issue a clear message to staff about a “rapid return to the office”.
He has also infamously been leaving notes in empty Whitehall workspaces with the message: “I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon.”
Downing Street said Boris Johnson supported Rees-Mogg’s efforts.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries accused Rees-Mogg of a “Dickensian” approach to the issue.
