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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Rosaleen Fenton

Jacob Rees-Mogg's comment to MP at Johnson's resignation speech revealed by lip reader

Jacob Rees-Mogg had a thoughtful comment for a fellow MP as they stood outside No 10 Downing Street during Boris Johnson's resignation speech, a lip reader has revealed.

The PM's speech went down badly with many - as he failed to mention a specific date and made a pointed dig at the "herd instinct" in Westminster.

A total of 59 MPs resigned from the government and the Prime Minister repeatedly ignored calls to leave before finally accepting his fate.

A number of supporters gathered in Downing Street as Boris Johnson made his speech - including his wife Carrie with their daughter, Roma, and Jacob Rees-Mogg.

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Jacob Rees-Mogg offers his support from the sidelines as Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigns (Alamy Live News.)
Jacob Rees-Mogg could be seen chatting to fellow MPs and Downing street staff (Alamy Live News.)

At one point, the MP could be seen exchanging a few words with another MP during the speech - and it seems Rees-Mogg thought it was going well.

A lipreader has told the Mirror what the pair appeared to be talking about -and it seems the MP was keen to share his support.

According to John Cassidy, an expert in lipreading, Rees-Mogg told his companion: "That is what I would say, yeah" as he watched the speech.

Mr Johnson's formal resignation opens the way for a leadership contest to begin - with the party set to elect a new leader.

In the immediate aftermath of the PM's resignation statement, it is expected that a number of MPs will show interest in the job.

So far, Grant Shapps is believed to be considering a leadership bid, while Dominic Raab and Michael Gove have already ruled themselves out.

Meanwhile, Sajid Javid is also thought to be considering his options after resigning on Tuesday from the cabinet.

The exact number of candidates vying for the top job won't be known until the deadline has passed - and the new Tory leader won't be in place until the party's conference in October.

In the meantime, Mr Johnson has said he will remain as PM until a successor is appointed - which has sparked some anger.

His resignation was sparked after a series of walkouts by cabinet ministers - including Sajid David and Rishi Sunak.

In his speech, Mr Johnson said it was "painful" to not see through his projects, but added: "But as we've seen at Westminster, the herd instinct is powerful and when the herd moves, it moves.

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