London, December 10, 2025
A gathering of prominent Brexit advocates led by Jacob Rees-Mogg convened at his Westminster townhouse on December 9 to launch a book asserting the benefits of Brexit, highlighting growing tensions as political and economic realities challenge the pro-Brexit narrative.
Brexiters Rally at Rees-Mogg’s House Amid Political Pressure
Senior Eurosceptics including Jacob Rees-Mogg, Iain Duncan Smith, Bill Cash, and John Redwood met under the banner of the Bruges Group to promote 75 Brexit Benefits: Tangible Benefits from the UK Having Left the European Union. The event symbolized a high-profile attempt to reaffirm Brexit’s value despite mounting evidence of its economic drawbacks.
Economic Performance and Labour’s Changing Position
Since the 2016 referendum, the UK’s economy has lagged behind other G7 nations, with stagnant productivity and growth, heightened inflation, and increased trade barriers undermining business confidence and consumer welfare. These challenges have prompted a measurable shift within Labour’s leadership, with Keir Starmer acknowledging Brexit’s damage and exploring renewed engagement with the EU, including potential customs union reentry.
Brexiteers’ Defensive Posture
The event revealed a defensive tone among hardline Brexit supporters. Rees-Mogg dismissed Starmer’s overtures to realign with the EU as unreliable, drawing laughter with his pointed critique. However, such public affirmations of Brexit’s success mask underlying unease as Labour’s engagement with the issue signals a fundamental threat to the Brexiters’ long-standing narrative.
Significance of the Moment
This meeting marks a political inflection point. Labour’s willingness to confront Brexit head-on after years of avoidance challenges the status quo and places Brexit advocates on the back foot. Polling trends indicate growing public skepticism about Brexit’s purported benefits, making events like this a defensive countermeasure rather than triumphant celebration.
Symbolism of the Gathering
Rees-Mogg’s Georgian townhouse provided a fitting backdrop for the event, evoking a nostalgic, aristocratic vision of Brexit’s architects. The reunion of the so-called “bastards,” a term John Major famously used for these Eurosceptics, underscores a political faction increasingly disconnected from the economic realities confronting ordinary Britons.
Implications for UK Politics and Brexit’s Future
As economic pressures persist, Conservative Party factions and opposition alike recognize the necessity to address Brexit’s fallout pragmatically. The long ideological project of Brexit may now be entering a defensive phase, with the next government’s approach to the EU relationship poised to shape the UK’s economic trajectory for years.
The scope of this gathering reveals not celebration but apprehension, as Brexit advocates seek to maintain relevance amid shifting political and economic landscapes. With Labour engaging the Brexit legacy more directly, the coming period promises significant recalibration in the UK’s positioning toward Europe.