Jacob Rees-Mogg

Pre-Politics

Early life

Jacob Rees-Mogg enjoyed a privileged upbringing. His father was editor of The Times and a member of the House of Lords.

Education

He was privately educated, including attendance at Eton College. Then studied history at Oxford University where he was a member of the Conservative Association.

Career History

After obtaining his History degree, he began a career in investment banking. Then started his own hedge fund.

Still owns a hedge fund: Somerset Capital, which owns about £5 billion of assets. It has led to several conflicts of interests throughout his political career, both morally and professionally. Including the time his hedge fund had to swiftly offload its shares in a Russian banking firm, Sberbank as Russia's invasion of Ukraine was imminent.

Political Career

Became an MP in 2010

First Cabinet position came in 2019, where he became Leader of the House of Commons.

Using Politics to enrich himself further

Became Minister for State for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency in 2022. There, he spent £1300 of taxpayer money travelling to Wales by chauffeur driven limo as opposed to a £100 train ticket.

Of course the Minister for Brexit Opportunities has used Brexit as an opportunity to maximise his own bank balance. Even though he struggled to find benefits for the rest of us.

Has a particular, expensive, taste for hotel rooms.

Undeserved Promotion

In 2022, he became Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. This is a concerning appointment for several reasons.

He is a climate change sceptic who says we need not only to limit action to prevent climate change, but also to maximise oil and gas extraction from the North Sea by maximising every last drop.
Doesn’t like renewable energy
He has millions invested in oil and gas firms through his hedge fund.

Other jobs

Like many MPs, Rees-Mogg has other paid jobs.

Rees-Mogg has a show on GB News, which he presents 4 days per week. He makes £32,000 per month for this.

Tax-Avoidance

Rees-Mogg has a lot of money, and his financial arrangements are complicated. What we do know, however, is that companies he is involved with have made use of tax havens in places such as the Cayman Islands and Singapore

Cold-Hearted and Cruel

Rees-Mogg has described himself as a devout Catholic. His voting record often does not reflect this claim, nor do many things he has said in the media.

Grenfell Victims lacked common sense

Following the tragedy of the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 which killed 72 people, Rees-Mogg thought it would be wise to go on the radio and say the following:

“...if you just ignore what you're told and leave you are so much safer… And I think if either of us were in a fire, whatever the fire brigade said, we would leave the burning building. It just seems the common sense thing to do."

Although he later backtracked, and apologised for his comments.

Foodbanks are “uplifting”

Foodbank usage has increased significantly since the Conservatives came to power in 2010.

He has described food banks as “uplifting”, as it shows Britain as being a compassionate country.

Supporting Austerity

Rees-Mogg has supported the policies that made foodbanks necessary in the first place. But he will deny these facts when confronted.

Conservative party policies have killed thousands of people since 2010, and ruined many millions more by pushing them into poverty.

These same austerity policies also stripped back support for disabled people to work. When Rees-Mogg was approached by a former youth worker with cerebral palsy who revealed he lost his job through Government cuts and received no other support, Rees-Mogg responded “that’s not true” and “the government are doing a lot of help disabled people”.

Does not support workers' rights

How does Rees-Mogg vote?