Andrew Marr’s takedown of Jacob Rees-Mogg hit the ‘patriot’ right where it hurts

Andrew Marr and Jacob Rees-Mogg on BBC 27/05/18
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The patriot’s patriot Jacob Rees-Mogg found himself in the firing line on The Andrew Marr Show on 27 May. The Conseravtive MP faced some tough questions on his investment firm, which has been doing rather a lot of investing abroad.

These investments included over £217 million in Russian businesses. When quizzed by Andrew Marr, Rees-Mogg claimed innocence. But the MP co-founded Somerset Asset Management in 2007 and retains a stake of over 15% in the business.

Dealings

Earlier this year, Rees-Mogg led the charge for tougher sanctions on Russia. But recent revelations show his hedge fund has extensive Russian holdings.

Quizzing the Conservative MP, Andrew Marr asked if the investments in Russia were the “patriotic or happy thing to be doing?”

Rees-Mogg responded by claiming the business has a duty to invest as well as its clients demand, subject to “the law of the land”. But Marr interjected, asking:

Isn’t it awkward to be making so much money from these investments while at the same time disaproving of them?

The Conservative MP then made the incredible claim that he did not make money from his clients’ investments. Marr immediately challenged that point, forcing Rees-Mogg to admit that he does make money from the company. It is believed that the MP has cashed in over £4m from the firm since his election to parliament eight years ago.

Read on...

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You can watch a clip of the exchange below:

The “naughty schoolboy”

Social media was quick to latch onto the fact that the leading Brexiteer appeared a little ruffled at the questioning, with some comparing Rees-Mogg to a “naughty schoolboy”:

Others pointed out some pretty gaping flaws in the MP’s arguments:

And some just asked the obvious question:

For someone so determined to promote the values and economy of Britain, these investments don’t look good for Rees-Mogg.

He’s denied claims he wants to be the next leader of the Conservative Party. That’s probably for the best because these revelations wouldn’t do a leadership candidate any favours.

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