Jacob Rees-Mogg, whose sister Annunziata Rees-Mogg defected from the Tories last week to join the Brexit Party, made a shocking claim about the new pro-Brexit political party. The leading Brexiteer told BBC Radio 4’s World at One: “I think the one really good thing about it is that it has taken votes away from Ukip. Now, Ukip is aligned to Tommy Robinson and I think Tommy Robinson reflects a type of politics that I think is unattractive and not usual in Britain.

I sorry they are taking voted from the Conservatives? Yes, of course, I am

Jacob Rees-Mogg

“Therefore, in that way, the new Brexit Party has moderated British politics from an extremist route that we were in danger of going down.

“Am I sorry they are taking voted from the Conservatives? Yes, of course, I am. I would encourage all people at all times to vote Conservative in all elections.”

The European Union agreed this month to extend Britain’s departure from the bloc until the end of October 31 after Prime Minister Theresa May asked for a delay.

The decisions means the UK will be forced to take part in European elections if the Prime Minister cannot get her deal through the House of Commons by the end of May.

Leading Brexiteer Nigel Farage launched the Brexit Party at an event in Coventry on Friday morning and warned EU leaders it is “no more Mr Nice Guy”.

During the official launch, Mr Farage stunned Tories by unveiling Jacob Rees-Mogg’s sister Annunziata Rees-Mogg as the surprise candidate for his new Brexit Party.

The former Tory general election candidate switched parties out of frustration at the Government’s failure to withdraw the country from the EU on March 29 as promised.

She accused Theresa May of failing to match up to the leadership of her political idol, former Tory prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

Speaking at the launch of the Brexit Party’s Euro campaign at a factory in Coventry, Ms Rees-Mogg told cheering supporters: “I joined the Conservative Party in 1984 and this is not a decision I have made lightly – to leave a party for which I have fought at every election since 1987, from Maggie Thatcher through to Theresa May.

“I know which one I’d rather have representing us now.”

The Brexit Party could be in for a shock win in May’s European elections, with a top pollster showing the eurosceptic group being already just one percentage point behind the Conservative Party.

YouGov political research manager Chris Curtis believes the UK is set for “another Farage-shaped upset” in next month’s European election.

He wrote in the Guardian: “It is entirely plausible that we are facing another Farage-shaped upset at the ballot box. While there are more than five weeks of campaigning to go, I certainly wouldn’t bet against him.”

If the election had taken place over the past weekend, the Brexit Party would have come in third with 15 percent of the votes, according to a YouGov survey which was carried out between April 10 and 11 on 1,843 voters.

Some 24 percent of voters said they would choose the Labour Party and only 16 percent of British citizens expressed a preference for the Conservative Party.

Mr Farage’s former party, Ukip, came in fourth, with 14 percent of the votes.

Among the “many reasons” to believe Mr Farage’s new party, founded in January 2019, could close the gap with both Tories and Labours there is the fact that voters are “dissatisfied” with the way Brexit has been handled by Theresa May and the Tory Party, Mr Curtis said.

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