The penny has never been so close to dropping. Jacob Rees-Mogg said what the rest of us are all thinking on his GB News – but rather than referring to Brexit, the senior Tory instead took aim at the UK’s environmental policies.
As something of a climate change skeptic, Rees-Mogg has rallied against policies which prioritise developments in the green economy. He also linked the closure of Port Talbot’s Tata Steel to net zero targets – a claim which has been soundly rejected.
ALSO READ: ‘Why is the EU unaffected?’ – Ex-Minister says Net Zero NOT to blame for Tata Steel closure
In fact, JRM seems to make a habit of blaming climate initiatives for the impact of Brexit. He was up to his old tricks once more this week, when net zero targets again came into his cross hairs – but he may have just stitched himself up.
A leading Brexiteer from the very start of the Vote Leave campaign, Rees-Mogg often champions the few and far between benefits of splitting from the EU in 2016. He’s less emphatic about the numerous downsides, however.
So when he admitted obstacles to trade do ‘make countries poorer‘ during this latest debate, it was a concession that somewhat comprised his own stance on Brexit. His ranting in regards to red tape was also a source of great irony…
“Anything that makes trade more difficult makes countries poorer. The UK needs to abolish certain rules. What we should do is get rid of green regulations and all related charges, so we have an economy that’s efficient and low cost.” | Jacob Rees-Mogg
You can see a clip of the full debate here:
