‘Morally corrupt and intellectually vapid’: James O’Brien delivers vicious blows in Jacob Rees-Mogg's direction
13 October 2022, 14:45
James O'Brien: 'Oh well, Jacob's gonna Jacob'
James O’Brien did not hold back in his brutal monologue on the current state of the Conservative Party, highlighting Jacob Rees-Mogg’s recent comments on the mini-budget.
James O’Brien had some sharp words for Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg in a vicious takedown today.
“You want to pick a low point?” James asked, “Probably Jacob Rees-Mogg yesterday, trying to argue that the reaction to the mini budget had nothing to do with the mini budget.
“I know we are fairly tireless chroniclers of Jacob Rees-Mogg’s moral corruption and intellectual vapidity but that was a true milestone in his appalling contributions to public discourse in this country - trying to argue that the response to the mini budget had nothing to do with the mini-budget.”
In a further blow, James added: “It’s like trying to argue that the bruising around your eye has nothing to do with the punch in the face you received yesterday, but hey-ho, Jacob’s gonna Jacob."
This comes after the fallout from the Chancellor’s mini-budget which saw the pound plummet to an all-time low against the dollar, a rare statement of condemnation from the IMF over the 45p tax rate cut, and a subsequent U-turn on the policy while the Conservative Party Conference was still in motion.
The Business Secretary previously defended Kwasi Kwarteng, telling Jon Sopel and Emily Maitlis on the News Agents podcast that he is “a very brilliant man…who has shown wisdom and flexibility in realising that something was becoming a distortion that wasn’t of fundamental importance”, referring to the government’s climbdown on the the policy.
Jacob Rees-Mogg says Truss and Kwarteng's jobs are safe and the public's "obsession with U-turns is an error".
— The News Agents (@TheNewsAgents) October 3, 2022
"This all gets frightfully overstated. You've got to do what is required for the circumstances."
Listen on @GlobalPlayer 📲@maitlis | @jonsopel | @Jacob_Rees_Mogg pic.twitter.com/SzrUdo4jGp
Comparing the nation's first and current female Prime Ministers, James added:
“Margaret Thatcher at the time of the poll tax was high on years of electoral success. She was almost unlatched from reality, unlatched from political reality, by the insulation that electoral success gave her.
“Quite how Liz Truss could have ended up so low so fast is still actually baffling me.”
James also noted that some of the economic problems the UK is experiencing “would still be here whoever was in Downing Street” but that “they are bigger than they would have been without Kwasi Kwarteng’s diabolical intervention and the response of the markets”.
Jacob Rees-Mogg dismisses windfall taxes
