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During a packed audience at Cadogan Hall in Belgravia organised by The Daily Telegraph, Mr Rees-Mogg also admitted it had been a “mistake” to be pictured reclining on a House of Commons bench in the midst of a crucial Brexit debate earlier this month. The wide-ranging chat also saw him back Theresa May’s decision to recommend a knighthood for controversial cricketer Geoffrey Boycott – and he even revealed the name of his favourite superhero in the wake of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s comments about the Hulk last week.
To tumultuous applause, Mr Rees-Mogg told the Telegraph’s Christopher Hope: “We owe a great deal to Nigel Farage.
“I don’t think we would have got to the position of having the 2016 referendum without him.”
Asked by Mr Hope about whether he would welcome the idea of Mr Farage being given an official role within Mr Johnson’s Government, he said: “I have great respect for Nigel Farage as I said earlier but the honours of state don’t come from me.
“He is a very distinguished campaigner and a significant British statesman.
“He has changed the UK more than anybody who has never been in Parliament. I don’t mean the European Parliament, I mean a proper Parliament, the British Parliament.”
Nevertheless, the ardent Tory Brexiteer insisted he had never considered joining UKIP – and when pressed on the idea of the Conservatives teaming up with the Brexit Party at the next election, Mr Rees-Mogg was dismissive.
He was warned wavering Tories pondering the idea of casting a vote for Mr Farage’s outfit: “A vote for the Brexit Party is effectively a vote for the Labour Party.”
Mr Rees-Mogg acknowledged being snapped lying back on the House of Commons bench had been an error “in hindsight”, adding: “Sitting comfortably like that distracted from what was going on – and it upset Caroline Lucas too!”
Explaining his decision to vote for Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement at the third time of asking, Mr Rees-Mogg said: “It was a difficult decision.
“It was a bad deal but I had come to the conclusion that if we didn’t agree it we risked losing Brexit altogether.”
On the decision to knight Mr Boycott, despite his conviction for assaulting his girlfriend 20 years ago in France, Mr Rees-Mogg, a keen cricket fan, said he had a “sneaking regard” for Mrs May partly because of her decision to do so.
And pressed about his choice of superhero, he said: “I think Batman, that one in the 1960s with all the Kapow! and that sort of thing.
“I’ve never seen any of the films though!”
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