Jacob Rees-Mogg had an open goal to make potshots at the Labour Party this weekend. The Oxford Union held a debate called “This House Does not Know What Labour Stands For”. Rees-Mogg was the star speaker, arguing in favour of the motion. The Union did not secure a Labour MP to mount a defence, but not for want of trying. One of the students said they had contacted over 50 Labour MPs asking them to take part, but all of them dodged the invite.
Rees-Mogg took the opportunity to jibe away. He described Labour as “a sort of light blue Tory Party” and made a fittingly laboured comparison between Starmer’s policy reversals and the U-turns in James Bond car chase scenes. “As Labour becomes more and more Tory I feel the country becomes safer and safer,” he added, to a smattering of applause.
Labour’s defence was left to one of Angela Rayner’s former political advisors and some Oxford students. Perhaps they were doomed from the start. The house voted 188 to 70 in favour of the motion, with the majority of members agreeing that they do not know what Labour stands for.
Celebs go Debating
The Union casts a wide net for their debating topics and guests. This week Kate Moss’s half-sister Lottie Moss will be arguing in favour of a Valentine’s Day themed motion: “This house believes women have to sacrifice too much for love”. The OnlyFans model has previously said “I haven’t really dated normal people”. She described her ex-boyfriend, the Love Island star Adam Collard, as a “cold shell of a soul”. The pair met on reality TV show Celebs Go Dating.
