Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg has mocked a senior Labour adviser who invited him to follow the example of defecting MP Natalie Elphicke by joining Sir Keir Starmer’s party – tartly observing: “I am not quite old enough to go into the House of Lords”.
The staunch Brexiteer has also admitted his amazement at what he called Ms Elphicke’s “extraordinary” decision – as well as taking a swipe at fellow defector Dan Poulter, who crossed the floor of the House of Commons last week.
Sir Jacob was singled out by John McTernan during an interview with BBC journalist Kirsty Wark on Newsnight last night as the one Tory MP he would like his party to recruit next.
Mr McTernan, who served as former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Director of Political Operations from 2005 to 2007, was quizzed about Sir Keir’s controversial decision to welcome Deal and Dover MP Ms Elphicke into the fold.
Asked to name another MP he would like to follow suit, he chuckled: “I’d love Jacob Rees-Mogg to be a member of the Parliamentary Labour Party.”
Sir Jacob was swift to respond, sharing a clip on X, formerly Twitter.
In a remark which seemed to imply those opting to jump ship would be rewarded for doing so in the event of Sir Keir becomng Prime Minister, he explained: “This is very generous of John to invite me to join the Labour Party but I am not quite old enough to go into the House of Lords.”
Sir Jacob’s post followed a frank assessment of Ms Elphicke on GB News last night, hours after she explained she had decided to quit what she called Rishi Sunak’s “incompetent” party.
He said: “I was watching this from my usual perch in the House of Commons and I saw in the seat behind where Sir Keir Starmer was about to go, somebody who I thought looked remarkably like Natalie Elphicke.”
“I mean, if she joined Reform, there would have been some logic to it. She might actually agree with Reform.
“But if you look at all her statements over all the time she has been in Parliament, she does not agree with the Labour Party.
“Natalie’s made quite a presence felt really, but as a tough-nosed right winger. And that’s why it’s very odd.
Sir Jacob also found time for dig at the expense of another defecter, the member for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich MP, who quit last week citing concerns over NHS funding.
He said: “Dr Dan Poulter was a different wing of the party, he never really had very strong beliefs on anything very much as far as I could tell.
“Nobody saw him again today. He hasn’t been around a great deal.
“He’s one of those MPs, who is here today, gone tomorrow.”
Referring to new Blackpool South MP Chris Webb, he continued: “I knew that the by-election had been won by a chap who I’ve actually met and clearly wasn’t him.
“So I thought, who is this? A Labour MP who I’ve never seen before?
“I couldn’t believe that Natalie, who was a hard right, tough on migration member of the European Research Group – it was the most extraordinary thing for her to do. It doesn’t make any sense at all.”
Speaking weeks after Ashfied MP Lee Anderson decided to walk out on the Tories for the party led by former Brexit Party MEP RIchard Tice, Sir Jacob said: “She should have joined Reform.
