You have to say, a multi-millionaire Tory politician coming out with this in a work of satire would even be too much. Instead, Jacob Rees-Mogg actually filmed himself saying these words, then even more inexplicably, decided to post them to his social media channels.
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Jacob Rees-Mogg misses the mark with call to ‘do your duty’
The former government minister was hammered from all sides of the political spectrum on Monday, after he went on an eight-minute rant compelling the British public to ‘do their duty’ and maintain a stiff upper lip. However, his views on how far that commitment must stretch has caused uproar.
Speaking to camera in a rather posh and upmarket dwelling, Jacob Rees-Mogg argued that Brits must fight for their country, it risk it being ‘taken over’ by other forces. He then went on to state that some people ‘may have to die to save their country’ – and his remarks have left a rather sour taste.
“It is not impossible that in the next few years we may face a war. If that happens, we will need people who want to join the armed services and go out and do their duty. There may even be circumstances where people have to die to save their country, as seen in wars before.”
“That is something that makes a country survive. If people aren’t willing to do their duty, then the country will be taken over by another country. This is partly why Ancient Rome fell. Duty is a noble thing, and it is not always easy, but it is the right thing to do.” | Jacob Rees-Mogg
‘Send your kids first’ – social media responds with rage
To say the reception has been hostile would be an understatement. Using Twitter metrics as a indicator of sentiments, JRM has received over six times more replies to his post than favourites (at the time of writing) – and a cursory glance shows support for his rallying call is very few, and very far between.
The online pile-on has been amplified by right-wing voices, with the likes of Tommy Robinson urging the GB News host to ‘send his children to war first’. After showing the same political instincts which saw him turfed out of office in 2024, Mr. Rees-Mogg will indeed need a ‘stiff upper lip’ to handle the backlash here…