Jacob Rees-Mogg insists Angela Rayner has right to call Tories 'scum'
The Conservative former minister defended freedom of speech as he spoke at the Tory conference.
Angela Rayner has the right to call Tories "scum", Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg has insisted.
The now-Deputy Prime Minister was forced to apologise after branding the Conservatives as "a bunch of scum, homophobic, racist, misogynistic" at Labour's conference in 2021.
But the Conservative former minister argued that defending freedom of speech includes protecting the Labour firebrand's right to make such comments.
Speaking at the Tory conference in Birmingham, he said: "We should defend the right of Angela Rayner to call us scum, shouldn't we? That's what she wants to do, it's no skin off my nose.
"Also she may be a very helpful secret weapon for us, I think people who do all these property transactions are quite Tory anyway, it's much more Tory than a socialist activity."
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During the debate on protecting free speech, Sir Jacob added: "How do you have democracy without freedom of speech?
"How do you run an election if we can't print leaflets saying that the other side are a bunch of rotters, or words to that effect?
"How can you print leaflets saying that the Lib Dems are good, honest people if you don't have freedom of speech? Even with freedom of speech, that's pushing it. But nonetheless, your democracy cannot take place without freedom of speech.
"You cannot have an effective election, because all you get is the message approved by the Government and churned out by the BBC."
Sir Jacob pointed to the Leveson report into the press and the Online Safety Bill as examples of freedom of speech being "under attack".
He said: "The Online Safety Bill has made it possible for Ofcom to have regulations that will curtail our freedom of speech.
"And what about that great spider at the centre of the funding of the Labour Party by Lord Alli?
"What is the one thing he's spoken about in the House of Lords? Curtailing freedom of speech and controlling the press.
"What did that dreadful Leveson report try to do? I was one of 13 MPs who voted against it, 530 in favour.
"When the House of Commons is united, it is almost invariably wrong... oh, just look back over the history."
Sir Jacob also warned Tory members in the audience not to "give in to the lefty loop use of language".
He said "We've bought in to the language of equality. Now I hope our distinguished chairman is a chairman, not a chair - the chair was what I was sitting on."
