Politics

Rees-Mogg says appointing Farage and Johnson as ministers would put general election win ‘within reach’

Jacob Rees-Mogg has urged Rishi Sunak to appoint Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson as ministers, saying such a move would put a general election win “within reach”.

With the Conservatives flagging in the polls, the former business secretary used his GB News ‘Moggologue’ to argue that major Reform UK figures should be swallowed up within the Tory Party, as well as arguing for the return of ex-PM Johnson as foreign secretary.

The MP for Somerset North, who shares a platform alongside many of the figures he referenced, argued that the prime minister could close that gap on Labour with a “big, open and comprehensive offer to those in Reform”, in a move designed to consolidate the right-wing voting bloc in the UK.

Sunak “should offer candidate selection to senior members of the Reform party”, including its honorary president Farage, its leader Richard Tice and its deputy leader Ben Habib, Rees-Mogg said.

Habib recently argued that migrants should be left to drown if they get in trouble in the sea on TalkTV, while questions over Tice’s leadership have been raised after several Reform UK candidates had to be dropped ahead of the election.

The Lib Dems have called on Sunak to suspend the whip from Rees-Mogg following his comments on GB News.

Daisy Cooper, the party’s deputy leader, said the Tory party was a “shambolic mess”, adding that its MPs were in “open revolt”.

“If the prime minister had any bottle he would suspend the whip from Rees-Mogg and rule out Nigel Farage being allowed into the Conservative party,” she said.

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Jack Peat

Jack is a business and economics journalist and the founder of The London Economic (TLE). He has contributed articles to VICE, Huffington Post and Independent and is a published author. Jack read History at the University of Wales, Bangor and has a Masters in Journalism from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

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