Jacob Rees-Mogg: I Was Wrong to Say Brexit Would Not Cause Dover Delays

THE GUARDIAN: Minister blames France for recent problems and suggests Britons might go to Portugal instead

Jacob Rees-Mogg: ‘Why should we go and spend our hard-earned money in France if the French don’t want us?’ Photograph: Henry Nicholls/Reuters
Jacob Rees-Mogg has admitted he was wrong to say there would be no delays at the port of Dover caused by the UK leaving the EU.

But the Brexit opportunities minister maintained the government line that the French, not Brexit, had caused the recent delays, in a radio interview on Tuesday.

LBC radio replayed a claim from 2018 when he insisted “there will be no need for checks at Dover” and he was clear that “the delays will not be at Dover, they will be at Calais”.

Rees-Mogg blamed Paris for the “French-created delays” witnessed recently before he was asked if he would apologise for getting it wrong. » | Lisa O'Carroll, Brexit correspondent | Tuesday, August 2, 2022

Thousands of Lorries Queue Near Dover amid Travel Chaos

Jul 23, 2022 Aerial footage shows thousands of lorries queueing on the main road towards the port of Dover on Saturday, with UK authorities blaming French officials for the chaos – a claim France has denied. A major incident was declared as a second day of travel disruption consumed the key port amid additional post-Brexit checks. It comes as most schools in England and Wales broke up for the summer holidays, marking the start of one of the busiest periods for foreign travel Brexit blamed for Dover gridlock on second day of travel chaos

France rejects blame for Dover gridlock, saying it is ‘not responsible for Brexit’: Travellers told to allow three to four hours to pass through security and French border checks at port »

Marvelous thing, Brexit! This move is really enhancing the lives of us Brits, isn’t it? We have lost all our rights as European citizens, we have shortages of foods on supermarket shelves as a result of it, we have difficulty travelling to destinations in Europe as a result of it, there are long, long lines of lorries and other goods vehicles in Dover, trying to gain access to France and the rest of the continent, we have also lost our free reciprocal healthcare rights in European countries, Liz Truss wants us Brits to go back to eating traditional British goods and apples—I presume she means baked beans, greasy, fried bacon and eggs and fried bread. God Almighty! What a dud party the Tory party has turned into! Oh, and Truss wants us to eat English apples exclusively, British cheeses, and drink Yorkshire tea.

Oh, and she is ready for a trade war with the EU over the N.I. Protocol as well. She is such an uplifting soul, isn’t she? She also wants to have a bonfire of EU rules and regulations by 2023, presumably to turn is back to the Victorian Age. Does she want children going down the mines and pits, too?

To think that this woman could be governing us in a few weeks’ time sends shivers down my spine!

She compares herself to Margaret Thatcher. Dream on, Lizzie! You are no Thatcher! Thatcher, love her or loathe her, had lots and lots of stature and presence. She was also glamorous. And beautifully spoken.

I didn’t agree with everything Thatcher did; but then, I wouldn’t agree with everything anyone did, of whatever political stripe. But for the time, largely the Eighties, her policies were just what the country needed to get us out of the grip of socialism, which had crippled the nation prior to Thatcher entering Downing Street.

In my opinion, the problem with returning to Thatcherism is not that Thatcherism was bad, it wasn’t; however,it was right for the UK economy in its day. Now, we are faced with very different problems. So, we need new and fresh solutions to these problems.

Liz Truss is no Margaret Thatcher. She has neither Thatcher’s intellect nor Thatcher’s presence.

What we need right now is a leader, be he/she Conservative, Liberal Democrat, or even Labour, who is pro-business and pro-EU too. This country needs to return to the European fold asap. If it doesn’t, there is only one direction of travel for the nation; and that’s south!

Fellow countrymen! Wake up from your slumbers! – © Mark Alexander

Travel chaos is ‘the new normal’ after Brexit, British tourists are warned: Anger over lack of cash for Dover upgrade as Tory candidates vie to blame France for delays »

Thatcher ministers turn on Liz Truss over tax cut plans: Chris Patten, Norman Lamont and Malcolm Rifkind warn former PM would never have approved borrowing to fund £30bn cuts »

Rupert Murdoch describes Brexit as 'wonderful': The media mogul likened leaving the EU to a prison break and shared his view of Donald Trump as a ‘very able man’ »

Violence Erupts as Far-right and Anti-fascist Groups Clash in Dover

THE TELEGRAPH: Dressed in black, some protesters were seen giving the Nazi salute while others had bloodied faces

Far-right and anti-fascist groups have clashed in the centre of Dover.

The National Front, South East Alliance, North West Infidels and East Kent English Patriots are among the organisations involved in the anti-refugee protest on Saturday afternoon.

A large group of pro-immigration activists organised a counter-protest, where Labour Dianne Abbott MP has been speaking.

Photographs from the scene show protesters with bloodied faces.

Dressed all in black, some protesters were seen giving the Nazi salute, amid a heavy police presence. » | Camilla Turner | Saturday, January 30, 2016