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