Jacob Rees-Mogg says the Brexiteers aren't to blame if Britain crashes out of the EU

Nigel Farage and Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg (right). Photograph: Isabel Infantes/EMPICS. - Credit: EMPICS Entertainment

Jacob Rees-Mogg has insisted if Theresa May loses her job and if Britain was to crash out of the European Union it would not be the fault of the Brexiteers.

In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald the Tory backbencher and Brexiteer said that crashing out without a deal was the ‘most likely option’, but it would be an ‘accidental’ and that no-one would be to blame.

Rees-Mogg said that it was important to get Britain’s withdrawal from the EU right rather than replacing Theresa May with a Brexiteer as leader of the Conservative party, but again said it would be ‘accidental’ if she did lose her job.

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‘One is the risk of an accidental leadership election and the other is an accidental departure from the European Union without any agreement having been made. There’s no great campaign but it could just happen without anybody really planning… and that could happen at any point, it’s not under anybody’s specific control,’ he said.

He, however, denied that Theresa May would lose her job if Britain did crash out of the EU without a deal, but said it ‘depends’ whether or not she leads the party in the next general election.

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‘Would there be a strain on her position? Inevitably, it would be silly of me to pretend otherwise. Would she be able to survive it? Yes of course. Prime ministers can always survive, but it would not be easy.’

He added: ‘If we got to this accidental No Deal that the government had not embraced, that is very risky for a government.’

The European Research Group leader credited Boris Johnson with ensuring the Leave campaign won the referendum but said it was not entirely down to him.

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He said: ‘[Leave] needed the work that had been done by UKIP, it needed Michael Gove on board. It needed the Vote Leave campaign but it absolutely definitely needed Boris.’

He also said he opposed a People’s Vote, but believed Leave would win again if the referendum was held. Even if Remain won the second referendum he warned that he would immediately call for a third.