Jacob Rees-Mogg breaks silence on 'real reason' for Tory election defeat

Jacob Rees-Mogg has broken his silence on the Conservative Party defeat and says it can be partly explained by the decision to ditch Boris Johnson as leader. The Tories are on course for a shocking wipeout with a Labour landslide victory predicted.

Speaking on the BBC, he said it had been “a terrible night” for the party. Asked what went wrong for the party, Rees-Mogg said there were “issues with changing the leader”. He went on: "Voters expect the prime minister they have chosen to remain the prime minister and for it to be the voters who decide when that person is changed …

"I’m afraid I think the Conservative party took it’s core vote for granted, which is why you see so many people who may have voted Conservative previously, going off to Reform." It comes as Labour shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson has won the Houghton and Sunderland South constituency.

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Phillipson, in her victory speech, said the British people have “chosen a brighter future”. She said: "Tonight the British people have spoken, and if the exit poll this evening is again a guide to results across our country as it so often is, then after 14 years the British people have chosen change.

"They have chosen Labour and they have chosen the leadership of Keir Starmer. Today our country with its proud history has chosen a brighter future. The British people have decided that they believe as Labour believes that our best days lie ahead of us – hope and unity, not decline and division, stability over chaos."

The winning MP in the North East went on and said: "A government powered by hope, by the belief that tomorrow cannot just be different from today, but better. A government of service, a government with purpose above all to change our society for good."