A campaign group has installed a commemorative blue plaque outside MP Jacob Rees-Mogg's surgery near Bristol. Called Mogg Watch, the group is made up of concerned residents in the MP's constituency who want to raise awareness of his alleged "support" of raw sewage in British waterways.
On October 20, 2021, the North East Somerset politician was one of many MPs who voted down an amendment to the environment bill that would have placed a legal duty on water companies not to pump waste into rivers. The amendment was subsequently defeated by a margin of 268 MPs to 204 and at the time, many Conservative MPs argued that the amendment did not include an impact assessment, and the costs incurred by immediately banning sewage spills would be too great, according to The Guardian.
The plaque, which reads ‘Jacob Rees-Mogg voted to dump raw sewage into local rivers 20.10.21’, was installed on Somer Centre in Midsomer Norton ahead of his surgery, with an adhesive backing the campaigners claimed does not cause subsequent damage to the building. A performer from the group known as ‘the Big Heads’ was in attendance, dressed as Mr Rees-Mogg. BristolLive has contacted Mr Rees-Mogg's office for comment.
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Jane Stephenson, 67, from Paulton, a spokesperson for Mogg Watch, said: “We’ve been very concerned about our local rivers since Jacob Rees-Mogg voted to allow raw sewage to be dumped into them and this year has shown the pollution to not only be worse than feared but that Wessex Water isn’t even properly monitoring the situation. People are getting sick and the UK is now ranked as having the worst bathing water quality in Europe. England is meant to be a green and pleasant land, not grey and polluted.”
According to Bath MP Wera Hobhouse, Wessex Water has discharged sewage into rivers and lakes in Bath and North-East Somerset 52,488 times. The group criticised that, under current plans, water companies can keep dumping sewage until 2050, while they are planning to increase people's water bills by £5 a month until 2090, leaving consumers to pay the price for water companies polluting rivers.
Vicki Youda, 43, from Keynsham, spokesperson for Mogg Watch said: “Rees-Mogg voting for sewage dumping is part of a much larger record of failing voters on nature and climate change issues. In North East Somerset we care about our own health and the health of our communities, nature and children’s futures. We deserve an MP who will protect what we love, not pollute it.”
Mogg Watch is the North-East Somerset branch of the national group MP Watch, which works to encourage MPs towards urgent action on the climate crisis. The group launched in December and has started a crowdfunder to support their upcoming work to raise the profile of Mr Rees-Mogg’s voting record on climate issues.
The group has highlighted his past comments on climate denial and issuing of new gas and oil licences while acting as energy secretary. The MP was Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in Liz Truss' cabinet from September 6 until October 25, 2022.
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