Jacob Rees-Mogg On His Nanny's 'Sound Politics' And His 'Lefty' Sisters

Jacob Rees-Mogg's Nanny Has 'Sound Politics'
|
Open Image Modal
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 03: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Jacob Rees-Mogg visits the new Bagpuss Pop-up Shop at Whitelys Shopping Centre on November 3, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images)
Ben Pruchnie via Getty Images

Lots of claims have been made about Conservative Jacob Rees-Mogg, including that he took his nanny campaigning with him and that he has a special toilet in Claridges.

The North East Somerset MP took part in a fringe event hosted by The Huffington Post at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham on Tuesday. He was good enough a sport to clarify which stories were true, which were not and which were sort of true.

1) Did he really take his nanny campaigning with him in Fife?

"Yes of course I did!" he said. "I am very proud of nanny. She has worked for my family for 49-years, that's not bad going. She is part of the family. Almost all my family came."

However Rees-Mogg revealed he has "one or two lefty sisters" who did not come to help him get elected to parliament. "They very nice really, but a bit lefty." He added: "Nanny's political views are sounder."

2) Does he really wear wing-collared pyjamas?

"I don't. I am desperate to get double breasted pyjamas though. The Daily Mail has been saying for about 20-years I wear double-breasted pyjamas but I never found any."

3) Is Dallas his favourite TV show?

"It was," he said. "I love Dallas." However he said the remake was no good. "Remakes are never any good, one always wants to watch the real deal." Rees-Mogg said the only exception was the recent American version of House of Cards, of which he was a big fan.

4) Did he really have a toilet reserved for only him and the king of Spain in Claridges?

"That's not quite true," he said. "It's not quite true." Rees-Mogg said there is a toilet for regular customers. But not just for him and the king. "He is usually in Spain."

5) Does he really have a group of devoted fans called 'The Moggets'?

Rees-Mogg said the name came from a group of women in a quiz group who called themselves 'The Moggets'. He confided that whilst playing quiz master he was not above giving them "bonus points".

6) Does he want to be prime minister one day?

Rees-Mogg said he "adores" being a backbench MP for his home county. "My family moved to North East Somerset in 1618. We were Tories then too. That's even before the party exited. We were on the side of the king in the civil war."