Tory MPs and voters in the North East still back scandal-hit Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg has claimed.
The Prime Minister faces continued questions about his premiership, with two damaging by-election defeats last week coming after the Partygate controversy in Downing Street and more than 40% of his own MPs voting to oust him in a confidence vote. Despite the ballot box defeats to Labour in Wakefield and the Lib Dems in Tiverton and Honiton a week ago, Mr Rees-Mogg claimed that the Government would fare far better if a general election was held.
Asked after a visit to Newcastle on Thursday if he believed that ‘Red Wall’ Tory MPs elected in 2019 and North East voters who supported Mr Johnson then still had faith in the PM, Mr Rees-Mogg told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Yes. The Prime Minister won a huge mandate in 2019, he won it from voters who had not previously voted Conservative, particularly in the North East.
Read More: What would happen if the Wakefield by-election result was replicated in the North East
“It is a question of ‘can the Prime Minister deliver?’. Brexit was delivered on time, but the benefits of Brexit is a continuing process and that is being delivered more as we go on.
“He delivered as well as anyone possibly could have done during the pandemic, he got the big decisions right. He is delivering for the country in relation to Ukraine.
“The challenge now, and this is the acid test for all of us in Government, is can we deliver in relation to the cost of living problems that are affecting people in their daily lives? That is going to be fundamental.”
If the 12.7% swing from the Conservatives to Labour in Wakefield was replicated in the North East, the Tories would lose seats in Hexham, Blyth Valley, North West Durham, Bishop Auckland and Sedgefield. Bishop Auckland’s Tory MP, Dehenna Davison, was among those to deny earlier this week that she was planning to defect to Labour after the double by-election defeat.
Mr Rees-Mogg, the Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency, added: “I think if people were voting for a Government rather than in a by-election the result would be extremely different.
“I campaigned in Wakefield and the turnout there was very low, but the reception in the high street and knocking on doors was very positive and encouraging for those of us who want to ensure the Government gets the most of the things that people voted for – that is delivering Brexit and running the economy properly.”
Following reports that Mr Johnson may call a snap election in the event that Labour leader Keir Starmer is forced to resign as a result of Durham Police’s ‘Beergate’ investigation, the PM insisted that the idea “hasn’t occurred to me” – but refused to rule it out. Cautioning against calling an “opportunistic” poll, Mr Rees-Mogg told the LDRS: “One of the great joys of having got rid of the Fixed Term Parliament Act, which I always thought was a dreadful piece of legislation, is that we can have great fun speculating whether there will be a snap election or not.
“The deadline for an election is December 2024 and it is a decision made exclusively by the PM, so I have no insight into what he is thinking. Voters expect elections to be called, I think, for serious reasons. Not for opportunistic ones. Opportunistic ones, like in 1974, tend not to go that well.”
Read More:
- Gosforth school to become second in Newcastle to ban cars outside its gates this summer
- Another top boss to leave Newcastle City Council as transport chief heads for government job
- £3bn devolution deal for North East mayor and 17,000 new jobs is 'in national interest'
- 'Fantastic' Northumberland Line rail plans on track for 2023 opening after key government approval
- Thunder Thursday 10 years on – will it happen again and what has been done to avoid flooding chaos?
