‘They’re hostile to Brexit!’ Rees-Mogg warns Boris critics want to pull us back into EU

Minister of Brexit Opportunities Jacob Rees-Mogg reacted to the announcement of a confidence vote in Boris Johnson and claimed the opposition to the Prime Minister is coming from people who are “hostile to Brexit”. Referring to tonight’s confidence vote, he added “this isn’t much a vote about the Prime Minister” but rather a ballot “to undermine the Brexit referendum”. Referring to Tobias Ellwood, who a few days ago called for the Prime Minister to rejoin the EU single market to help the country with the cost of living crisis, he warned “Tobias Ellwood and his friends want to tie us back into that failed, sclerotic European system”.

Mr Rees-Mogg said: “There are a lot of people who think they are alternative to Boris Johnson.

“I think Tobias Ellwood seems to be putting his name about a bit.

“And wants us to basically rejoin the European Union by going back to the single market.

“And I think that’s really important because the energy for the opposition to the Prime Minister is coming from people who always rejected the 2016 vote.

“And didn’t want Boris Johnson to be the leader.

“Then they don’t want him to be the leader now because they’re hostile to Brexit.

“Tobias Ellwood and his friends want to tie us back into that failed, sclerotic European system.

“That’s really important because this isn’t so much a vote about the Prime Minister.

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“We grasp the benefits of being outside the European Union so that we can move our economy in a different direction from the EU”.

Referring to the current cost of living crisis, Tory MP Tobias Ellwood suggested: “If joining the single market with conditions results in strengthening our economy, easing the cost-of-living crisis, settling the Irish problem at a stroke and promoting our European credentials as we take an ever greater lead in Ukraine, would it not be churlish to face this reality?”.

Following the suggestion, some Tory MPs reacted with disagreement.

Former chief whip Mark Harper said: “The UK voted to leave the EU. That meant leaving the single market and putting an end to freedom of movement. The end”.

Commons Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Tom Tugendhat commented: “Let’s plan for the future and stop looking back. This decision is made”.

The claims from Mr Rees-Mogg came as Chairman of the backbench 1922 committee Sir Graham Brady officially announced that a confidence vote in Boris Johnson will be held tonight between 6pm and 8pm.

He explained: “The threshold of 15 percent of the parliamentary party seeking a vote of confidence in the leader of the Conservative Party has been exceeded.

“In accordance with the rules, a ballot will be held between 18:00 and 20:00 today Monday 6th June. The votes will be counted immediately afterwards. An announcement will be made at a time to be advised”.

Referring to the current cost of living crisis, Tory MP Tobias Ellwood suggested: “If joining the single market with conditions results in strengthening our economy, easing the cost-of-living crisis, settling the Irish problem at a stroke and promoting our European credentials as we take an ever greater lead in Ukraine, would it not be churlish to face this reality?”.

Following the suggestion, some Tory MPs reacted with disagreement.

Former chief whip Mark Harper said: “The UK voted to leave the EU. That meant leaving the single market and putting an end to freedom of movement. The end”.

Commons Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Tom Tugendhat commented: “Let’s plan for the future and stop looking back. This decision is made”. 

The claims from Mr Rees-Mogg came as Chairman of the backbench 1922 committee Sir Graham Brady officially announced that a confidence vote in Boris Johnson will be held tonight between 6pm and 8pm.

He explained: “The threshold of 15 percent of the parliamentary party seeking a vote of confidence in the leader of the Conservative Party has been exceeded.

“In accordance with the rules, a ballot will be held between 18:00 and 20:00 today Monday 6th June. The votes will be counted immediately afterwards. An announcement will be made at a time to be advised”.