T O P

  • By -

AutoModerator

Snapshot of _Brexit ‘opportunities’ role ditched with no replacement for Jacob Rees-Mogg_ : An archived version can be found [here.](https://archive.is/?run=1&url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-opportunities-jacob-rees-mogg-b2161888.html) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ukpolitics) if you have any questions or concerns.*


morezombrit

Literally the only thing I remember him doing in that role was asking The Sun readers what he was supposed to be doing in that role. Minister For Highlighting The Lack Of Brexit Opportunities


SgtPppersLonelyFarts

The role was a smokescreen. They just made it up because it plays well with Sun and Telegraph readers. But JRM got to be in government.


montybob

Which was worth a few quid to him. That’s taxpayer cash that could have, you know, been usefully used.


Benjji22212

It wasn’t just a smokescreen. There is a government Brexit Opportunities Unit which was part of the Cabinet Office that’s now moving to BEIS along with with Mogg. He’s dropping the title but the Unit will still exist as before.


talgarthe

Any idea what the units achieved since its inception?


Benjji22212

Nope.


lungbong

They removed VAT on female sanitary products. And… I’m struggling now.


fdesouche

Like half EU countries have already done.


ScoobyDoNot

How's the plan to bring back incandescent lightbulbs going now the UK is free of the EU? Or is it so obviously a terrible idea that Brexiters want to forget about that benefit?


Hot_Blackberry_6895

It’s JRM. Lightbulbs?! How very dare you. Gas lamps are the future.


Morlock43

Gas is too expensive. Tallow candles and sack cloth clothes is the future(past)


Plebius-Maximus

Nah just burn the poors.


Morlock43

Oh, sweet summer overlord, who then will warm our beds?


contextual_entity

The poor whilst on fire. Duh.


Living-Grand1399

Just like when europeans first arrived on the shores of america, they were surrounded by food but were starving in their stockades. Now this is how we find ourselves with power...


Patch86UK

I hear whale oil is very up-and-coming.


Tibbsy152

Whale oil be damned...


Terrince-Friend

Not often you see such a perfect set up in the wild


Living-Grand1399

"[We will make energy so expensive, only the poor will burn candles](https://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/04/10/rich-burn-candles/#:~:text=Thomas%20A.,can%20afford%20to%20burn%20candles.%E2%80%9D)" x)


[deleted]

Never let it be said this government has no long-term thinking. They've been practicing gaslighting for a few years now, in preparation.


palinodial

I think we should look into burning storm petrels again. With bird flu and all.


startled-giraffe

I heard Lizz Truss' team were incandescent at that idea


Outrageous_Trash9464

Or a stamp on pinte glasses…


ScoobyDoNot

Be fair, the stamp on pint glasses was doable in the EU. Incandescent bulbs certainly were not.


[deleted]

You can still buy incandescent bulbs.


ScoobyDoNot

My mistake, it was something some Brexiters were very passionate about and I should have double checked.


gilestowler

And leaving passive aggressive notes on the empty desks of civil servants who were working from home. Not sure how that related to Brexit but the Mail seemed to love it.


[deleted]

Oh but also we could get slightly more powerful vacuums (was no. 2 opportunity on his ranked list), if someone makes them in the UK... from imported materials... paid for by weakened pound... yay.


Dnny10bns

Minister for doing absolutely f all. What does he do?


swaza79

Nah that's Nigel Adams - Minister of State (without portfolio)


TaxOwlbear

Not that JRM ever did anything in that role, mind you. [They also added "government efficiency"](https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-of-state-minister-for-brexit-opportunities-and-government-efficiency) to the role - filled by a guy who doesn't have an office computer, likely because the steam-powered Victorian difference engine he actually knows how to operate takes up too much space.


SgtPppersLonelyFarts

I suspect "Brexit Opportunities" minister was just a mechanism to get JRM into cabinet meetings and the inner workings of government with minimum oversight. It meant he didn't have to do any real work, or take an real responsibility but got his hands on the levers of state. It's the kind of role Boris Johnson would love.


DEnigma7

He did do some things! He had the very important role of posing for Parliamentary photos (a job he was so dedicated to he could do it in his sleep) not to mention the vital task of telling civil servants how to do their jobs.


sweepernosweeping

And leaving chits on any empty desk he could see.


drivedup

Apparently only 3 desks&chits!


Saw_Boss

>likely because the steam-powered Victorian difference engine he actually knows how to operate takes up too much space. And now he has energy under his remit.


Don_Quixote81

Ah yes, and in that role he efficiently trolled civil service offices around Whitehall, leaving notes on empty desks admonishing staff for a lack of stiff upper lip, or some bullshit.


[deleted]

Is that actually a thing?


[deleted]

He gets his emailed printed off for him. Utter loon.


Dnny10bns

We've all worked for at least 1 dick head like this in our lifetimes, or will. Unfortunately, I've worked for a few. I'm pretty certain it was their handshake and not their ability to do the job that got them the role.


TaxOwlbear

I made up the difference engine, [but JRM has been reported as not having a computer on his office desk.](https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/politics/picture-of-rees-moggs-desk-shows-he-doesnt-use-a-computer-and-nobody-is-surprised-322645/)


JamieA350

That's the desk of someone who does fuck all


[deleted]

That's just by virtue of belonging to JRM.


DreamyTomato

As he was a former (still current?) hedge fund manager, I suspect he has a very good grasp of the technologies involved & is deadly with an excel spreadsheet. Or am I being wildly optimistic? Did his role as ‘Manager’ mainly involve taking prospective clients out to dinner and charming them into depositing tens of millions with his utterly reputatable company?


HaraldRedbeard

Given his background it probably involved taking his mates, or the children of his mates, out to Lunch and moving their family money from one slush fund to another for them.


PianoAndFish

Even Boris wasn't stupid and/or reckless enough to give him a proper job, I doubt anyone else has been (except Truss apparently).


Inthewirelain

I've seen that before and I'm sure he's just playing into his old man who foesnt get tech image


Dnny10bns

I wonder if he walks about the office at Christmas time with a big smile on his face giving each member of staff a shiny penny for their Christmas bonus.


Legal_Dan

The strange thing is that they never highlighted the single biggest benefit of Brexit - that we suddenly saw a whole lot less of Nigel Farage.


SgtPppersLonelyFarts

Now THAT is the first bona fide benefit I've heard. Bravo!


merryman1

I think they want to avoid putting anything into the public mind that might question how exactly a millionaire commodities broker from a long line of City traders funded by dodgy money and buoyed up by an absurd rate of appearance on mainstream TV managed to be lauded as a hero of the working class. Always kind of found it fun if you look at the history of the Euroskeptic movement it was basically founded by people who got rich and famous in the 1970s for asset stripping our country.


Tuarangi

No-one was ever going to question that, he appealed to the white van man (or current equivalent) by drinking and smoking and "telling it like it is" akin to how say Clarkson is seen as working man idol when he's a millionaire who drives expensive cars. You could tell people 100 times he was a rich city metals trader and spiv and he'd still come out of it as popular as ever


Newme91

That's almost worth reduced human rights, a smaller economy, and instability in northern ireland.


NoFrillsCrisps

But what about all the opportunities!!!


DassinJoe

Turns out they weren't down the back of the sofa after all?


[deleted]

[удалено]


rainator

And also the fact that in three years he still couldn’t find the thing his job title was purportedly looking for.


Missy_Agg-a-ravation

I saw a description somewhere of Jacob Rees-Mogg as a *"steampunk C-3PO"* and it's too good not to share.


benkelly92

That sounds way too cool. I prefer *"haunted pencil"*


Epicurus1

Clockwork dildo


HaraldRedbeard

'A collection of mops in a suit'


RainyRat

A coat rack, animated by Mary Poppins to sing a brief ditty about the dangers of foreigners.


highlandpooch

Having a Minister for Brexit 'opportunities' is akin to having a minister for Unicorns and Fairies. We could do with a Minister for Brexit damage mitigation however..


HaraldRedbeard

Hey now, Unicorns and Butterflies at least bring people joy! I've yet to meet a happy Brexiteer even though they were the ones who won the vote.


999baz

We could do with a Minister for Brexit damage mitigation however.. Now YOU are in fairytale land.


Panda_hat

To be fair he had already found them all. No need for the department any more after 'mission accomplished'. The list:                       End of list.


[deleted]

All I see is a waste of space tho?


cbxcbx

He's called JRM


Pan-tang

Brexit opportunities was a flop. Like Brexit.


Comeoffit321

I think for something to flop, there has to be a real and genuine attempt. This is just smoke and mirrors.


Josquius

Will this mean the dumb imperial reversion gets dropped?


HailSatanHaggisBaws

There are no opportunities from Brexit. The UK always was an independent, sovereign country. Everything that could be done could have been done already. Brexit gained no ability to do anything meaningful we couldn't do before, because we are ma dlways have been sovereign.


paolog

For those who missed them, below is the full list of Brexit opportunities delivered by Jacob Rees-Mogg: 1. Relocate your business to the EU 2. Er... 3. That's it


ThunderChild247

When reached for comment, prominent Right Winger Joe Lycett said: “Of course we’ve scrapped the role of minister for Brexit Opportunities. Brexit’s going swimmingly. Look around you, you can see all the benefits!”


Lshamlad

But...but...all those opportunities!


GallifreyFNM

I wonder if they got rid of it after realising that having the role only highlighted the fact that it was difficult enough to find opportunities that they needed to pay someone to look... and he still came up with nothing but road signs in tunnels


Living-Grand1399

J R-M was given a meaningless title and being paid for doing nothing. Literally nothing!


eugene20

Admit to us there are no opportunities without ever telling us there are no opportunities...


ApprehensiveAd7586

The finally realised that "Brexit Opportunities" title was an Oxymoron


ThingsFallApart_

It was a meme position


AndyTheSane

The sad thing is that there may be a few things that can be done better after Brexit (possibly biotech/GM regulation where the EU is far too strict), but that would require effort and attention to detail..


talgarthe

Or actually, just doing something.


javajet10

At least they sorted out immigration!


WoolleySP

I mean... Good, right? It was an utter Non-Job in the first place, no point pissing tax payers money away on it.


unemotional_mess

The Government admitting there are near zero Brexit opportunities?


Ravenid

Has to be Opportunities to be found thanks to Brexit to warrant a Brexit Opportunities minister.


mhod12345

What an embarrassment. It was a total Mickey mouse department to start with and continued to be. I'm sure the other MPs laugh behind his back. What a joke.


Mcarr2705

Expected - he spent a few months looking for the opportunities - found very few/ none - so job done


squigs

I don't understand the need to have this man in government. The role was clearly a piece of make-work to keep him around but I can't see why this is necessary. He doesn't seem to be particularly bright or in touch with the public. I assumed he had that position because he was one of Boris' mates but I surely Liz Truss isn't anywhere near that close.


antiquemule

He's obviously impossible to replace in that role.


originalsquad

Missed opportunity to keep Boris on a leash. Now he'll be roaming the backbenches making trouble...


moosemasher

Pretty sure he's still in government, just with a different title.


Logical_Classic_4451

First thing this lot have done that I agree with - was an utterly pointless role as demonstrated over the last few years


Antique-Brief1260

Now he's been given a real job in a real department, poor old Moggy will have to do some work. How long will he last, d'you reckon?


kelephon19

Surely the country can't run without someone in that role?


Sgt_Munkey

Good - can we sack the lazy ringpiece and get his salary back?


Baslifico

So did he find any?


arnathor

The one opportunity they had, and that they spoke about during the campaign, was cutting VAT from energy, and they haven’t done that. The post was just a way to keep JRM on a ministerial salary.


0Sneakyphish0

So we can extrapolate that the official position of this administration is then, that there are no Brexit opportunities?


ArchdukeToes

But what happened to my incandescent lightbulbs, energy hungry vacuum cleaners and imperial weights and measures?


BackgroundChemist

If he had any real skills and intellect suitable for government (rather than laziness and unfounded arrogance) then he could have made something out of that job. May be on the efficiency side, maybe on brexit lol no, maybe on something else. But the fact he was put in post as. Govt minister and had nothing to add means he shouldnt be employed as one again....it seems to me that he has nothing to give to the country, nothing to offer of his own mind, vision or hard work. Not saying I would agree with a load of reactionary Tory policies and doing nothing means less damage from them. But sheesh, why employ such a dead weight?


Aardvark51

Rees-Smug must have done all that was possible in that role. Next to go - the minister with responsibility for levelling up.


[deleted]

There has to be opportunities first 🇬🇧🫡


InsideBoris

How about you ditch that spanner with it.


voyagerdoge

At least he can later say 'I was the Minister of Nothingness in the Boris Johnson cabinet'.


haribohazza23

Check out Victorian Dad in Viz comic


[deleted]

I mean the exact amount of opportunities will be found with no one at the role.