Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg has come under fire after making a startling admission about Brexit. In a revealing interview with Channel 4’s Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Rees-Mogg admitted it may take 50 years to benefit from leaving the EU.
50 Years
The interview was part of Channel 4‘s Way’s to Change the World podcast series. In it, Guru-Murthy pressed the Tory MP as to whether he would resign if Brexit went wrong.
Responding, Rees-Mogg refused to say he would quit. The MP explained his decision:
Because you’re proposing a very simple question on a very complex set of circumstances… We will know at some point, yes of course we will, but it’s a question of timescale…
We won’t know the full economic consequences for a very long time.
Guru-Murthy continued to press Rees-Mogg, who responded:
The overwhelming opportunity for Brexit is over the next 50 years.
You can watch the exchange below:
https://twitter.com/Channel4News/status/1020671636524191745
“That wasn’t on the side of the bus”
There was an incredulous reaction online to the admission from the Conservative MP. Some were startled to see a leading Brexiteer making these claims:
So, according to Jacob Rees-Mogg, my teenage son will be collecting his pension before we feel the benefits of Brexit. That wasn’t on the side of the bus… https://t.co/fxRNu6A8z0
— David Banks (@DBanksy) July 21, 2018
Many others were similarly astounded at the timeframe presented:
https://twitter.com/smilinglaura/status/1020696501109100544
https://twitter.com/davidschneider/status/1020719844637933568
SNP MSP James Dornan also piled on:
And they call us narrow nationalists. Jeez, the incredibly rich Rees Mogg telling us it could be 50 years before seeing benefit of Brexit, but of course ‘no more Johnny Foreigner in control’ eh. Maybe his grandkids will be protected but will mine? Will yours? #vile #Brexit #ISS https://t.co/4CpdZrDGwM
— James Dornan SNP (@glasgowcathcart) July 22, 2018
The future’s bright, the future’s Brexit
The news that it may take 50 years to reap the benefits of Brexit may not be much solace to many. The claim that the NHS could be £350m a week better off is looking even less likely now than it did when it first appeared on the side of a bus.
While Rees-Mogg’s honesty is at least a refreshing change, it’s a shame it’s taken him this long to admit this. If we all knew then what we know now, the result could have been very different.
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