Conservative Party backbencher and leadership hopeful Jacob Rees-Mogg shocked fans today by speaking out against Enoch Powell MP’s famous Birmingham speech.
Rees-Mogg, whose father once wrote a Times of London editorial attacking Powell’s speech as “evil” took to Twitter on Saturday to state: “My father’s view which has stood the test of time about Enoch Powell’s speech”.
The North East Somerset Member of Parliament was met with almost universal condemnation by the political right, while being congratulated by left wing academics and members of the establishment media.
The Times column — which ran the day after Powell’s “Rivers of Blood” speech warning over mass migration and the Race Relations Act — congratulated Tory wet Ted Heath for dismissing Powell from his shadow cabinet, and called the speech “disgraceful”.
A BBC Panorama poll from late 1968 revealed that 74 per cent of the British public agreed with Powell, to the chagrin of establishment types like William Rees-Mogg,
“The more closely one reads the text of Mr. Powell’s speech, the more shameful it seems,” the Times thundered.
“Mr. Heath must also have strengthened his own leadership,” it risibly suggested. A few years later Mr. Powell’s endorsement to vote Conservative would be the determining factor in the Tories winning the 1970 election.
By late 1974, Powell had had enough with the Conservative Party, resigning and urging people to vote Labour. Mr. Heath was, as a result, unceremoniously turfed out of office.
Fans of Rees-Mogg on Twitter responded badly to the Tory MP’s claim:
https://twitter.com/peytonjim/status/985237615002767361
https://twitter.com/NorthWestTory/status/985243425997033472
https://twitter.com/blackhornet1/status/985239524249948161
https://twitter.com/HwkUk/status/985244658879139842
https://twitter.com/kelstar1000/status/985257882542399489
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