93 Facts About Jacob Rees-Mogg

Jacob William Rees-Mogg was born on 24 May 1969 and is a British politician serving as the Member of Parliament for North East Somerset since 2010.

Jacob Rees-Mogg was educated at Westminster Under School, Eton College and Trinity College, Oxford, where he read history and was president of Oxford University Conservative Association.

Jacob Rees-Mogg went on to work in the City of London and in Hong Kong for Lloyd George Management until 2007, when he co-founded the hedge fund management business Somerset Capital Management LLP.

Jacob Rees-Mogg unsuccessfully contested the 1997 and 2001 general elections before being elected as the MP for North East Somerset in 2010.

Jacob Rees-Mogg was reelected in 2015 and 2017, with an increased share of the vote each time, as well as in 2019, with a smaller share of the vote.

Jacob Rees-Mogg was promoted as a potential successor to May as Leader of the Conservative Party; he instead endorsed Boris Johnson in the 2019 leadership contest.

In February 2022, Jacob Rees-Mogg was moved by Johnson to the role of Minister of State for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency.

Jacob Rees-Mogg resigned as Business Secretary shortly after Truss left office on 25 October 2022.

Jacob Rees-Mogg has been described as a conviction politician with anachronistic attitudes.

Jacob Rees-Mogg was born in Hammersmith, London, on 24 May 1969, the younger son of William Jacob Rees-Mogg, editor of The Times newspaper, created a life peer in 1988, and his wife Gillian Shakespeare Morris, formerly his secretary, daughter of Thomas Richard Morris, a lorry driver, car salesman, local government politician, and Conservative mayor of St Pancras in London.

In 1964 the family had purchased Ston Easton Park, a country house near the village of Ston Easton in Somerset, where Jacob Rees-Mogg grew up attending weekly mass and occasionally Sunday school at the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Ghost, Midsomer Norton.

Jacob Rees-Mogg said this event was the beginning of his interest in stock markets.

Jacob Rees-Mogg read history at Trinity College, Oxford, where he graduated with an upper second-class honours degree in 1991.

Jacob Rees-Mogg was a member and frequent debater at the Oxford Union and elected Librarian, but Damian Hinds defeated him for president of the Union.

In 2007, Jacob Rees-Mogg left the company with a number of colleagues to set up their own fund management firm, Somerset Capital Management, with the aid of hedge fund manager Crispin Odey.

In July 2019, Jacob Rees-Mogg resigned from his part-time role at Somerset Capital Management following his appointment as Leader of the House of Commons.

Jacob Rees-Mogg first entered politics at the 1997 general election at which, aged 27, he was selected as the Conservative Party candidate for Central Fife, a traditional Labour seat in Scotland.

In 1999, when it was being rumoured that his "anachronistically posh" accent was working against his chances of being selected for a safe Conservative seat, Jacob Rees-Mogg was defended by letter writers to The Daily Telegraph, one of whom claimed that "an overt form of intimidation exists, directed against anyone who dares to eschew the current, Americanised, mode of behaviour, speech and dress".

Jacob Rees-Mogg himself stated that "it is rather pathetic to fuss about accents too much", though he then went on to say that "John Prescott's accent certainly stereotypes him as an oaf", a comment which he later said he regretted and for which he apologised.

In March 2009, Jacob Rees-Mogg was forced to apologise to Trevor Kavanagh, the then political editor of The Sun, after it was shown that a newsletter signed by Jacob Rees-Mogg had plagiarised sections of a Kavanagh article that had appeared in the newspaper over a month earlier.

Jacob Rees-Mogg was one of the directors of the Catholic Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth in London who were ordered to resign by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor in February 2008 after protracted arguments over the adoption of a tighter ethical code banning non-Catholic practices such as abortions and gender reassignment surgery at the hospital.

Jacob Rees-Mogg was described by Camilla Long in a profile in The Sunday Times as "David Cameron's worst nightmare" during the 2010 general election campaign.

At that election, Jacob Rees-Mogg became the new Member of Parliament for the new North East Somerset constituency, with a majority of 4,914 votes.

Jacob Rees-Mogg later voted against the government whip on the Fixed-term Parliaments Bill, the October 2011 European Union Referendum Motion and the House of Lords Reform Bill 2012.

Jacob Rees-Mogg jokingly attempted to amend the Daylight Saving Bill to give the county of Somerset its own time zone, fifteen minutes behind London.

Jacob Rees-Mogg had been informed as to the nature of the group by anti-fascist group Searchlight prior to his attendance.

In December 2014, Jacob Rees-Mogg was reported to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority for speaking in debates on tobacco, mining, and oil and gas without first verbally declaring he was a founding partner and director of Somerset Capital, which manages multimillion-pound investments in these sectors.

Jacob Rees-Mogg supported the then-Republican Party nominee Donald Trump during 2016 US presidential election.

In November 2017, Jacob Rees-Mogg met Trump's former White House Chief Strategist and Breitbart News' executive chairman Steve Bannon to discuss how right-wing movements can succeed in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Jacob Rees-Mogg later addressed a DUP fundraising event, drawing criticism from the Northern Ireland Conservatives.

Jacob Rees-Mogg was widely regarded as a potential candidate for the leadership of his party, something he was reportedly considering during 2017.

On 13 August 2017 Jacob Rees-Mogg said that such speculation was "part of media's silly season".

Jacob Rees-Mogg was elected chair of the European Research Group, a Eurosceptic pressure group within the Conservative Party, in January 2018.

Jacob Rees-Mogg supported a "Canada-plus" deal as a compromise; this would allow for tariff-free trade, without the UK remaining in the single market or the customs union.

On 15 November 2018, Jacob Rees-Mogg implied that he might submit a letter of no confidence in the Prime Minister over her draft Brexit proposal.

Jacob Rees-Mogg said on 22 February 2019 that he opposed Home Secretary Sajid Javid's decision to revoke the UK citizenship of Shamima Begum, one of the Bethnal Green trio, as she was eligible for Bangladeshi citizenship.

Jacob Rees-Mogg endorsed Boris Johnson to become leader of the Conservative Party following the resignation of Theresa May Following Johnson's election as leader on 23 July 2019 and appointment as Prime Minister the next day, Jacob Rees-Mogg was appointed Leader of the House of Commons, replacing Mel Stride.

Jacob Rees-Mogg became Lord President of the Council and attended cabinet meetings in the Johnson government.

Jacob Rees-Mogg has supported a vaccine against coronavirus and has called anti-vaxxers "nutters".

Several hours later, Jacob Rees-Mogg said he "profoundly apologised" for his comments.

Jacob Rees-Mogg subsequently made fewer media appearances throughout the rest of the election campaign, fuelling speculation in the media that he was under orders from Downing Street to keep a low profile as a result of the Ferrari interview, which was supposedly perceived as damaging to the party.

In 2020 Jacob Rees-Mogg accused UNICEF of a political stunt after it announced for the first time in its 70-year history it would be providing food parcels to children in deprived areas of London prior to Christmas.

In January 2021 Jacob Rees-Mogg broke government coronavirus guidance by travelling 15 miles from his residence in the Tier 3 area of West Harptree to a church in the Tier 4 area of Glastonbury to attend a Latin Mass.

Jacob Rees-Mogg said they knew each other and this meant they were acting in line with government COVID guidance.

Jacob Rees-Mogg has been criticised for calling Welsh a "foreign language".

In October 2021 Jacob Rees-Mogg said that the main cause of labour shortages in the UK was the effects of disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic rather than Brexit.

Jacob Rees-Mogg expressed concerns about low attendance rate and inefficiency.

In July 2022, following the July 2022 United Kingdom government crisis, Jacob Rees-Mogg considered entering the race to be the next leader of the Conservative Party and thus Prime Minister, as a "pro-Boris" candidate.

Jacob Rees-Mogg was appointed Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 6 September 2022 by Prime Minister Liz Truss.

In October 2022, during the Conservative Party Conference, Jacob Rees-Mogg said that he would be "delighted" to allow fracking in his back garden.

On 25 October 2022, Jacob Rees-Mogg resigned from the frontbench upon the appointment of Rishi Sunak as prime minister and returned to the backbenches.

Jacob Rees-Mogg is a staunch monarchist and a member of the Cornerstone Group.

Jacob Rees-Mogg said collaboration would be straightforward as policies were similar on "many issues" and most Conservatives would prefer Nigel Farage to Nick Clegg as Deputy Prime Minister.

Jacob Rees-Mogg's remarks angered his party leadership, while UKIP said it was against any formal arrangements.

Jacob Rees-Mogg later credited the DUP for having "saved" Brexit by torpedoing an agreement between the government and the EU.

David Lammy, the Labour MP for Tottenham, said Jacob Rees-Mogg was "promoting Germany's overtly racist party, AfD".

In October 2019, Jacob Rees-Mogg faced similar criticism from David Lammy when he suggested that George Soros was allegedly the "funder-in-chief" of the Remain campaign.

Counter to the Conservatives' U-turn on turning state schools into academies, Jacob Rees-Mogg is a proponent of academy-based education, reasoning that it gives schools more freedom from local education authorities to make decisions and cuts down on bureaucracy.

Jacob Rees-Mogg stated: "We don't want to make it harder for intellectually able people to be Tory party candidates", saying that the country would not be best run by "potted plants".

In February 2018, police launched an investigation after Jacob Rees-Mogg was caught in the middle of an altercation at a university campus when left wing protesters disrupted a student event in Bristol.

Jacob Rees-Mogg has set out his views on environment and climate change in a number of public documents, articles and interviews.

Jacob Rees-Mogg is skeptical of the need to mitigate climate change, instead arguing for adaptation, and believes carbon neutrality targets increase energy prices.

In 2012, Jacob Rees-Mogg questioned the scientific consensus on climate change, claiming that the effect of carbon dioxide emissions on the climate "remains much debated".

Jacob Rees-Mogg was one of 100 MPs who wrote to David Cameron successfully pressurising the government to withdraw subsidies and change planning rules for onshore wind.

Jacob Rees-Mogg is an investor in oil and coal mining through Somerset Capital Management, which he benefits from financially.

Jacob Rees-Mogg blamed "climate alarmism" for rising energy prices in 2013, advocating the continued use of fossil fuels.

In October 2021, Jacob Rees-Mogg said that there was enough time for the UK to do its part to tackle climate change.

Jacob Rees-Mogg said the UK had 30 years to reach its target of net zero carbon emissions.

Jacob Rees-Mogg stated that parts used for solar energy had fallen in price over the last 20 years, making renewable energy more affordable.

Jacob Rees-Mogg believes that improving people's lives requires "some use of the powers that the government has".

In 2013, Jacob Rees-Mogg expressed support for zero-hour contracts, arguing that they benefit employees, including students, by providing flexibility and could provide a route into more permanent employment.

Jacob Rees-Mogg rejected criticism by Vince Cable and others that they were exploitative as "the standard response of the left".

In September 2017, Jacob Rees-Mogg suggested that food banks fulfil a vital function, and proceeded to argue that "to have charitable support given by people voluntarily to support their fellow citizens I think is rather uplifting and shows what a good, compassionate country we are".

In 2022, Jacob Rees-Mogg suggested that corporations should no longer have to report on the gender pay gap and the speed with which they pay their suppliers.

Jacob Rees-Mogg has taken a mixed approach to British involvement in the Syrian Civil War, denouncing a proposal to arm the Syrian rebels, but subsequently voting in favour of a failed proposal for British military action against the Bashar al-Assad regime in 2013.

Jacob Rees-Mogg voted in favour of British military action against the Islamic State in Iraq in 2014 and in Syria in 2015.

Jacob Rees-Mogg has described foreign aid as a "really wasteful approach to government spending", and in 2018 supported a campaign by the Daily Express to reduce Britain's foreign aid budget.

Jacob Rees-Mogg has previously voted for a stricter asylum system and a more controlled immigration policy in order to reduce net migration.

In 2013, Jacob Rees-Mogg said that on the issue of same-sex marriage, he took his "whip from the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church rather than the [Conservative] Whip's Office".

Jacob Rees-Mogg has said that he does not believe Britain's laws on same-sex marriage or abortion will change.

Jacob Rees-Mogg has described abortion as "a cult of death"and a "modern tragedy".

Jacob Rees-Mogg is opposed to capital punishment, and favours due process for British jihadists operating abroad.

Jacob Rees-Mogg appeared on The 11 O'Clock Show in 1999, where he was interviewed by Ali G, who called him "Lord Jacob Rees-Mogg" and attempted to talk about social class.

In October 2017, Jacob Rees-Mogg presented talk radio station LBC's morning show for a day, where he discussed Brexit, foreign policy and the T-charge with callers, including Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable.

Jacob Rees-Mogg was praised for his sense of charm and humour.

Jacob Rees-Mogg returned to present a Sunday show on LBC in February 2018.

In January 2023, Jacob Rees-Mogg was announced to be joining GB News as a host and presenter.

Jacob Rees-Mogg has cultivated a public image as a quintessentially English gentleman, whose anachronistic upper-class mannerisms and consciously traditionalist attitudes have led to him being dubbed the "Honourable Member for the 18th century".

Jacob Rees-Mogg is the uncle of Olympic athlete Lawrence Clarke and fellow Conservative MP Theo Clarke.

In 2006 Jacob Rees-Mogg became engaged to Helena Anne Beatrix Wentworth Fitzwilliam de Chair, a writer for a trade magazine and the only child of Somerset de Chair and his fourth wife Lady Juliet Tadgell.

Jacob Rees-Mogg had first met de Chair, a close friend of his sister, when they were children, and they began dating the year before their engagement, after Jacob Rees-Mogg had gained the blessing of her mother.

In 2005, Jacob Rees-Mogg added a 1936 3.5 Litre Bentley to his collection, and used a Lexus for everyday use.

Jacob Rees-Mogg is a cricket enthusiast, and has supported Somerset County Cricket Club since his youth.