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Politics
Kate Plummer
Oct 25, 2022
Jacob Rees-Mogg calls Boris Johnson's achievements 'historic'
Indy
Jacob Rees-Mogg has resigned from the cabinet in the most Jacob Rees-Mogg way.
Following the confirmation that Rishi Sunak is now the prime minister of the United Kingdom, the business secretary wrote a letter to his new boss in pen rather than by typing it - standard - saying he was doing one, but that's not all...
It comes after the former minister made cutting remarks about Sunak during the summer leadership contest and said he would not serve in a Sunak cabinet.
He told Kay Burley: "I believe his behaviour towards Boris Johnson, his disloyalty means that I could not possibly support him and he wouldn't want me in his cabinet anyway."
"I couldn't support somebody who has been so disloyal to the current leader of the party from inside cabinet," he continued.
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"If you are bound by collective responsibility you should stick to that whilst you are in the cabinet."
Today, a source close to Rees-Mogg told the PA news agency: “He knows he was very close to the previous two regimes and it didn’t seem likely he was going to be appointed in the new Cabinet.
“He’s happy to support the Prime Minister from the backbenches.”
That said, let's get back to the resignation letter and how barmy it was. He also dated the letter not as 25 October, like most people in the 21st century would do, but as St Crispin's Day - a date best associated with Shakespeare's Henry V.
His anachronism did not go unnoticed by people on Twitter, who rolled their eyes at the 16th century cosplaying politician and also noted that his handwriting is pretty illegible:
\u201cBy using 'St Crispin's day' he is trying to tap into a heroic English tradition, of Henry V, Shakespeare and Agincourt (fought today in 1415). \nBut it comes across as arrogant, preening, cosplay.\u201d— Dan Snow (@Dan Snow) 1666703954
\u201cSt Crispin's Day seems to come round sooner every year\u201d— Jane Merrick (@Jane Merrick) 1666702546
\u201c@tnewtondunn "st Crispin's day" pompous anachronism to the last\u201d— Tom Newton Dunn (@Tom Newton Dunn) 1666702184
\u201c@SebastianEPayne Silly one man pantomime.\u201d— Sebastian Payne (@Sebastian Payne) 1666703516
\u201cThe affectation is just utterly bizarre. Isn\u2019t the idea of a date so that people know when you wrote a letter without consulting Wikipedia? For someone so obsessed with appearing to be an aristocrat, he consistently gets it wrong. Fuck off Jacob, and take St Crispin with you.\u201d— Adam spooKay (does that work?) (@Adam spooKay (does that work?)) 1666703326
\u201cHow apt. St Crispin was the patron saint of cobblers.\u201d— Paul Vallely (@Paul Vallely) 1666704778
\u201c@tnewtondunn Appalling handwriting\u201d— Tom Newton Dunn (@Tom Newton Dunn) 1666702184
\u201c@annaturley @tnewtondunn @JohnRentoul Is it me or is his handwriting shocking!!\u201d— Tom Newton Dunn (@Tom Newton Dunn) 1666702184
\u201c@tnewtondunn "st Crispin's day" pompous anachronism to the last\u201d— Tom Newton Dunn (@Tom Newton Dunn) 1666702184
We are glad to be done with him.
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