Jacob Rees-Mogg describes life with six children, and if his son is destined for politics
THE surprise cult status of Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg has continued to grow after he opened up about being a father for the sixth time and the nanny that looks after them.
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The Tory MP for North East Somerset, 48, announced the birth of his sixth child, a son, called Sixtus, on Wednesday.
To mark the happy event he posted a photograph of himself, smartly dressed in a suit, as he cuddled his newly-born son.
Mr Rees-Mogg, who became a political favourite during the EU referendum, has now spoken about being a father again and Veronica Crook, the family’s life-long nanny who who helped raise Mr Rees-Mogg.
Jacob Rees-Mogg with his wife and six children after the birth of Sixtus
He now has six children - Alfred Wulfric Leyson Pius, Thomas Wentworth Somerset Dunstan, Peter Theodore Alphege, Mary Anne Charlotte Emma, Alfred, Anselm and Sixtus.
Speaking about his son Anselem, and whether he too could be destined for a career in politics, he said: “My five-year-old is very firmly of the view that being a train driver is the way forward.
“Though if he joined [trade union] ASLEF I’d be a bit surprised.”
Jacob Rees-Mogg and his wife Helena De Chair
Jacob Rees-Mogg with his son Sixtus
Mr Rees-Mogg praised the nanny, Ms Crook, who had been with the family for more than 50 year and was “still on duty”, looking after Sixtus.
He said: “Nanny is still looking after the children, which is absolutely wonderful as I hear her telling them things she used to tell me.”
Mr Rees-Mogg added: “She reminds them of the post-war rationing. So if they have great dollops of butter on their toast, she says that would have been a week’s ration. I love that, the historic continuity that you get.”
Sixtus, Jacob Rees-Mogg's new-born son
While he said that a nanny never reveals her age, he guessed she was “in her seventies” and stated: “We are her family.”
He said: “She’s the most remarkable woman and as you can imagine, incredibly good with children – but she might say it’s jolly hard work.”
Mr Rees-Mogg was clearly delighted at the birth of his new child, saying: “It’s a great joy, all my other children are very excited to have a new sibling.
Jacob Rees-Mogg (L) and Nigel Farage at Lord's
“Fortunately, the baby and my wife are both well and have come home from hospital so no it’s wonderful and it’s all lovely.”
The Conservative MP has risen in popularity, mainly due to his charismatic appearances on shows like Question Time and Have I Got News For You, where he has displayed his no-nonsense approach to politics.
He recently said of Brexit on Question Time: “You are either in the European Union or you leave it. There is no such thing as hard or soft Brexit, there is only being in and out.”
Jacob Rees-Mogg and has family
Speaking about the MP in 2015, Miss Crook said: “He wasn’t really naughty, he was a one-off. He did his own thing, he didn’t copy. He had that sort of attitude.”
The MP has also managed to win over those who would not necessarily vote Conservative, with one recently writing on Twitter: “The thing about Jacob Rees-Mogg is that his politics [are] horrendous but I can’t bring myself to hate him because he’s from another time.”
Another wrote: “The more I see and hear of him, the more I’m turning in a Jacob Rees-Mogg fan. One of the most sensible MPs In Parliament.”
A third, having watched the BBC political debate show, wrote: “Jacob Rees-Mogg absolutely bossed #bbqt. No one came near to landing a glove on him.”