A campaign group has called on Jacob Rees-Mogg to apologise after he admitted he ‘got it wrong’ over Brexit Dover queues.
During the Leave campaign, the MP for North East Somerset had vowed that after Brexit: “We will maintain a free-flowing border at Dover.
“The delays will not be at Dover, they will be at Calais.”
He made that promise speaking to Nick Ferrari on LBC Radio in 2018.
Four years on, after the Port of Dover was declared a “critical incident” with holidaymakers were stuck in their cars for many hours, Mr Rees-Mogg was challenged on his assurance by the same interviewer.
Talking to LBC this morning, Mr Rees-Mogg said: “I got it wrong for the right reason, if I may put it that way.
“The point I was making was that the only delays would be caused by the French if they decided not to allow British people to pass through freely.”
Responding to his admission, Naomi Smith, chief executive of campaign group Best for Britain said:
“After belatedly admitting that we will need to wait 50 years for Brexit benefits and after wasting £500 million on now redundant port infrastructure, it is clear that Jacob Rees Mogg has been at best inaccurate and at worst deceitful in his effort to get his hard Brexit over the line.
“Jacob Rees Mogg must now apologise, not only to the thousands of lorry drivers and holidaymakers queuing at Dover, but to the great British exporters and importers that have been crippled by Brexit red tape, the businesses suffering labour shortages and the young people who have had opportunities stripped from them all because of the woeful Brexit deal he advocated.”
Related: Brutal New York Times column concludes: The fantasy of Brexit Britain is over
