Jacob Rees-Mogg has done a u-Turn on previous comments when he said Theresa May should immediately resign in the wake of a confidence vote - which was a better result than the one Boris Johnson just got. In 2018 Prime Minister May received a no-confidence vote from 37% of her MPs. Following this Mr Rees-Mogg said: “She ought to go and see the Queen urgently and resign.”
However after 40% of Tory MPs said Boris Johnson should go Mr Rees Mogg said: “When I said that, everybody said to me I was wrong. I was wrong on two grounds. One is that democracy requires that one is enough, and the other is that it was ungenerous.
“Somebody has won and I accepted that, that I think that I was mistaken in saying that there were secret, hidden rules. I don’t think there are, but of course then Theresa May then lost parliamentary votes and that was what led to her going rather than the vote of confidence.”
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When asked what victory would look like for Boris Johnson, Cabinet Office minister Mr Rees-Mogg said: “One is enough.” Speaking in 2018, Mr Rees-Mogg said: “It’s a terrible result for the Prime Minister, it really is.”
He added: “Of course I accept this result. But the Prime Minister must realise that under all constitutional norms, she ought to go and see the Queen urgently and resign.”
Meanwhile Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab has said Boris Johnson won the confidence vote “clearly” and now the party must “move forward”. Speaking on Sky News, he said: “The Prime Minister won it with 59% - that’s actually more than he got in terms of support when he was elected leader of the Conservative Party.
“We’ve had that vote now, it was the prerogative of those calling for it to have it. “The Prime Minister won it clearly, he won it by 63 votes, and now the most important thing is to respect that vote and move forward.”
Raab said Boris Johnson has not been disheartened by the vote on his leadership but rather has “renewed energy” to deliver policies as Prime Minister. Speaking on Sky News, he said: “We’ve got two years to deliver and demonstrate that we’re delivering.
“I think we’re the ones with a plan, I think this Prime Minister is full of vision, determination and if anything, renewed energy to get off the Westminster insider track, on to the outward-facing agenda of delivering for the people. “And I believe that we’ve got the plan, the energy and the team which Labour can’t match, they can’t rival, and I don’t think they’re doing anything other than carping from the side-lines.”
When asked about the criticism of Jeremy Hunt voiced on Twitter by Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries, Mr Raab said: “I like and respect both Nadine and Jeremy Hunt - he’s one of my Surrey neighbours - and we will need all of the energies of all of our MPs if we’re going to deliver for the people. “So I think it’s time to come together.”
Dominic Raab said potential losses for the Conservative Party at two upcoming by-elections in Wakefield, West Yorkshire and Devon’s Tiverton and Honiton, would have little effect on a general election result the following year. Speaking on LBC, he said: “By-elections are often an opportunity for a protest vote in a way that a general election isn’t.
“Governments of the day often lose by-elections to go on to win them at a general election. “But we’ll do everything we can do win both of those seats and support both of those great candidates up there.”
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