Jacob Rees-Mogg revealed on his podcast today that the SNP have apologised on behalf of MSP James Dornan for tweeting that Mogg was “responsible for the deaths of thousands“, and that he will “undoubtedly rot in hell” for backing the government’s Nationality and Borders Bill. In the now-deleted outburst, Dornan said:

“You and your cronies are already responsible for the deaths of thousands and you’re now happy to see the most desperate people in the world suffer and drown… if your god exists you will undoubtedly rot in hell.”

Typically sanguine, Mogg responded today with:

“Of course he’s entitled to say that. That’s perfectly fair. I’m a public figure. I’ve gone into this business, nobody forced me to become a Member of Parliament. I did it of my own volition and people are free to say things about the prospects of my soul, are they not?”

Publicly, the SNP claimed the reaction to Dornan’s tweets reeked of “desperation”, privately they admit it was over-the-top…