‘Don’t be gay, Jeeves!’ Jacob Rees-Mogg’s anti-LGBT voting record skewered by Mash Report
British conservative party member of parliament Jacob Rees-Mogg is seen after delivering a petition against the provision of foreign aid at 10 Downing Street in London on February 8, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS (Photo credit should read DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images)
BBC comedy show the Mash Report has taken aim at Jacob Rees-Mogg’s anti-LGBT record.
Mr Rees-Mogg, a backbench Tory MP, has been repeatedly touted as a potential challenger to unseat Prime Minister Theresa May in a bid to shift the party to the hard right.
The Conservative politician is a notorious opponent of LGBT rights, having consistently voted against equality and spoken out against same-sex marriage.
His record is so bad that his own party’s LGBT group, the LGBT+ Conservatives, branded him a “disgrace” and once retweeted a message that said “Retweet if you’re against Jacob Rees-Mogg as Prime Minister in any circumstances”.
BBC comedy The Mash Report took aim at Rees-Mogg’s record this week, branding him a “rotter” for his views on gay rights, poverty and abortion.
Comic Rachel Parris said: “Lots of people have been getting in touch to ask ‘who’s this plucky upstart Jacob Rees-Mogg, and is he as much fun as he seems?’
“Well, the answer is yes. Jacob Rees-Mogg is a huge amount of fun. Quintessentially English and old fashioned… a delightful Bertie Wooster-esque eccentric.
“Jeeves and Wooster, Downton Abbey, the Crown: British people love throwbacks to a simpler time when the upper classes ruled over us with patronising benevolence.
“Is there more to Mogg than this old-fashioned fascade? People are really engaging with Mogg’s authenticity. He’s not afraid to be traditional, and vote with his deeply-held Christian beliefs.
“So, let’s take a quick look at this aristocrat millionaire’s voting record.
“As you can see, he consistently votes against gay rights, women’s reproductive rights, human rights, and equality.”
She added: “Rees-Mogg attributes many of his opinions to his Catholic faith, and he’s talked candidly about how his religion dictates that he opposes same-sex marriage. He also opposes abortion, even in cases of rape and incest.
“Oh hang on, I’ve just seen this jaunty photo of him!”
She added that Mogg was “oddly obsessed by the traditional marriage bit of the Bible, but no so much the taking care of the poor and the meek.”
The comic quipped: “Jacob Rees Mogg stated in an interview ‘I am what I am’, echoing the voices of gay people across the world whose rights he sought to curtail.
“The question is, was Jacob Rees-Mogg born this way, or was it more of a lifestyle choice?”
Is that quirky chap Jacob Rees-Mogg as much fun as he seems? @RachelParris investigates… #TheMashReport pic.twitter.com/RmcqKN3hC9
— BBC Two (@BBCTwo) February 16, 2018
PinkNews revealed in 2015 that Rees-Mogg has criticised then-Prime Minister David Cameron during a Conservative conference call, accusing him of “alienating” people over same-sex marriage.
During the call, then-Tory Party Chairman Grant Shapps and Mr Rees-Mogg fielded questions from a number of activists.
A caller had said: “I know the gay marriage issue has been settled, but I think David Cameron would do well not to keep rubbing it in how pleased he was to have got that through onto the statute books.”
Mr Shapps deferred the question to the MP, responding: “Some of these issues, gay marriage being the obvious one, being a free vote so you may get a different view from Jacob.”
British Conservative politician Jacob Rees-Mogg, chairman of the European Research Group (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images)
Jacob Rees-Mogg told the caller: “On gay marriage I agree with you, I’m not proud that this government passed that into law and it alienated a lot of our traditional supporters. So I think the least said soonest mended.”
Mr Rees-Mogg is a long-standing opponent of same-sex marriage, saying in 2013 that he will choose to be “whipped” by the Catholic Church rather than by his party.
“If this is a strategy the Conservatives won’t get any credit for it and it distressed many of our activists.”
“I think there is damage being done, some activists are leaving, some are considering joining UKIP in protest, and it’s the people who are the backbone of local associations who do the work who are the most put out by it.”
