JACOB Rees-Mogg has been branded a patronising liar by an angry member of the public after being attacked for his government’s failure to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.
The Brexit opportunities minister was also condemned for his explanation for Boris Johnson's false comments to Parliament about the partygate scandal.
Participating in an LBC phone-in, the Tory MP was asked why key promises from the Vote Leave campaign had not been met.
Brenda, a caller from St Ives, told the show: “We were told that if we exited the EU we would have lower energy prices, cutting VAT and cheaper food. You lied to us.”
Rees-Mogg insisted that his government had cut VAT on “means of saving energy”, such as cost associated with insulation and solar panels, in the Chancellor’s mini-budget. “Which is something we could not do within the EU,” he added.
Addressing a hike in food prices after inflation rose by 4.3% last month, the Tory minister said: “These are two different things. That one is the costs that we impose on countries we import from. And with the trade deals that we are doing, and particularly important with Australia and New Zealand, we are taking tariffs off food, footwear and clothing.
“And the more free trade deals we do, the more tariffs will be removed – and more importantly actually because they have a big cost in terms of the flexibility of markets – the more non-tariff barriers will be removed.
“But there is a global inflation in food prices which has nothing to do with Brexit. So the fact that the wheat price has gone up, because partly the invasion of Ukraine by Putin's forces is not something that I was speculating on in the run up to Brexit.”
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Rees-Mogg went on to defend Rishi Sunak’s Spring Statement announcement, but his comments did not satisfy Brenda.
She hit back, asking: “You’ve cut VAT on solar panels – how is that going to help the ordinary struggling person who can’t afford to pay their bills?”
The caller continued: “You are so patronising Mr Rees-Mogg and I find it absolutely outrageous that people are going to suffer from hypothermia, they’re going to die, they can’t eat and they can’t heat their homes. So how is that helping the ordinary struggling person?”
“I’m not beginning to say the cost-of-living crisis isn’t affecting people seriously,” Rees-Mogg said in response to further questions about his government’s response.
Asked if the Spring Statement should be revised, as opposition parties have called for, the Tory minister replied: “I think what we actually need is to make the economy more efficient.”
The Brexit opportunities minister was also accused of “ridiculous sycophancy” by another caller who was angered by the partygate scandal.
Rees-Mogg suggested Prime Minister Johnson had been handed incorrect information about the gatherings before he told MPs no rules had been broken.
“The Prime Minister said that he was told the rules were followed, but that turns out not to be correct and we know that fines have now been issued, but the Prime Minister can only work on the information he is given,” he told LBC.
A caller named Chris gave his assessment of that explanation: “That’s just ridiculous sycophancy because you owe the guy a job in the Cabinet.”
"If the Prime Minister is told information that is incorrect, and passes on that information, he has made no deliberate effort to mislead."
— LBC (@LBC) April 4, 2022
Minister @Jacob_Rees_Mogg insists Boris Johnson did not mislead Parliament. #CallTheCabinet | @NickFerrariLBC pic.twitter.com/JVHEEp9CE7
READ MORE: Former UK Government ethics chief fined over partygate scandal
Rees-Mogg also defended his dismissal of the partygate row as “fluff” in the context of the war in Ukraine and the cost-of-living crisis.
He said some of the coronavirus restrictions imposed during lockdown were “inhuman”.
“I think those words in the context of what’s going on in Ukraine are completely reasonable,” he said.
“I don’t think the issue of what may or may not have happened in Downing Street and what we are now finding out is fundamental.
“What I think is fundamental is that we look in the [Covid-19] inquiry at how the rules were devised and the effect that they had, because I think some of those rules were inhuman.”
He acknowledged that people were “undeniably cross” but insisted that Johnson had not misled Parliament about the situation.
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