Jacob Rees-Mogg backs Liz Truss’s ‘workers need more graft’ comment amid Tory leadership race

Jacob Rees-Mogg has backed Liz Truss after the Tory leadership candidate suggested that British workers need “more graft”.

Rees-Mogg spoke to the Mail on Sunday to say Truss’s comment was “sensible” and that it reflected the “poor productivity in the British economy”.

It comes after he’s already publicly criticised what he calls the “rotten culture” of working from home.

The Brexit opportunities minister has been tipped to move into a Cabinet position as levelling up or trade secretary if Truss wins the leadership race against Rishi Sunak.

Truss’s comments, leaked to the Guardian in an audio recording from her time as Treasury minister in 2017-2019, the leadership candidate was trying to explain lower productivity seen outside London.

She said it was due to a “mindset and attitude thing”.

Truss continued: “There’s a fundamental issue of British working culture. Essentially, if we’re going to be a richer country and a more prosperous country, that needs to change. But I don’t think people are that keen to change that.”

She added that there’s a “slight thing in Britain about wanting the easy answers”.

She continued: “But actually what needs to happen is more … more graft. It’s not a popular message.”

Defending Truss as a key ally of the Tory leadership candidate, Rees-Mogg said the comments “attracted confected political criticism but they reflect an unfortunate reality in much of the British state”.

He added: “This is not good for the government, or for the public as a whole.”

This comes off the back of Rees-Mogg slamming the number of people currently going into Whitehall to work.

Last week he said numbers of people in the office were down five percent on the previous week, reports the Mail. Numbers are still below pre-pandemic levels.

“Even accounting for summer holidays, this is hopeless,” he said.

Truss also spoke to the Mail on Sunday about the leaked comments.

She said: “I’ve always been passionate about helping our country become more successful. I want people to have opportunities. Of course I believe in hard work.

“I want our government to be on the side of people that work hard who set up their own businesses.”

Labour called Truss’s comments “grossly offensive”, accusing her of making British workers out to be “lazy”.