Jacob Rees-Mogg Schools Caller Who Claims He Changed His Mind On Second Referendum

24 June 2019, 10:13 | Updated: 24 June 2019, 10:20

This is Jacob Rees-Mogg's response to a caller who claimed he had changed his mind on a second EU referendum.

A clip of Mr Rees-Mogg went viral on social media of him saying in the House of Commons in 2011 that the UK could have a second confirmatory referendum to put a Brexit deal to the British people.

He had said: "We could have two referendums. As it happens, it might make more sense to have the second referendum after the renegotiation is completed."

James called in to Ring Rees-Mogg to ask the backbencher why he's allowed to change his mind on such an important issue.

But Mr Rees-Mogg dismissed his question. He said: "Oh I haven't and if you'd bothered listening to this programme before, we've discussed it on many occasions."

Explaining his comments from 2011, he said: "This is the dishonest propaganda of the referendum campaign. They put it up as a billboard saying I'd tweeted something before I was even on Twitter.

"James, I'm afraid you are simply wrong on this one.

"What I was saying was that David Cameron should have got a mandate referendum before he went to renegotiate to say we want to renegotiate.

"And then he could have had a referendum on his renegotiation. Mr Cameron decided not to have the mandate referendum but to put it to one referendum, which was decisive. That was my point, that isn't what happened. It's very straightforward."

James then insisted that the video of Mr Rees-Mogg making that statement had been removed, but he hit back: "No it hasn't because it's on the parliamentary website.

"You're talking out of your hat, James. I'm so sorry."