Tory grandee Jacob Rees-Mogg – who lost his North East Somerset seat to ex-Labour MP Dan Norris – was on Newsnight yesterday. Dan Norris was suspended by Labour after he was arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences last month…
Speculation on whether Rees-Mogg would run again, were there to be a by-election – and for which party – has been rife. Last night, he called for an electoral pact between Reform and the Tories, telling the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire:
“If we oppose each other, we let Labour win large majorities, and that makes no sense. So we want to come together, we want to co-operate, we want to put the national interest ahead of party pride.”
Both Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage have ruled out a national pact between the parties. Rees-Mogg also didn’t rule out standing for Reform…
Speaking to Sky News off the back of Rachel Reeves’ Air Passenger Duty hike, Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said:
“Labour is dependent on those Red Wall seats, and yet every move she makes poisons economic growth and damages the UK’s recovery… it’s the Chancellor who stumbles from policy misstep to policy misstep… I think her policy decisions are incredibly stupid.”