Jacob Rees-Mogg's wife joins ex-minister at Lord's amid Partygate row

Howzat! Jacob Rees-Mogg’s wife is on the edge of her seat as Australian wickets fall at Lord’s as she joins her ex-Cabinet minister husband in escaping to the cricket after he’s rapped for branding the Boris Johnson inquiry a ‘kangaroo court’

• Jacob Rees-Mogg and Helena de Chair enjoy Ashes cricket as they attend Lord’s

Jacob Rees-Mogg’s wife Helena de Chair was spotted on the edge of her seat today as Australian wickets fell at Lord’s.

She joined her ex-Cabinet minister husband for a day at the cricket as they saw England finally bowl out Australia in their first innings of the second Ashes Test.

Mr Rees-Mogg bunked off from the House of Commons, which began sitting at 9.30am, to watch Thursday’s play at the iconic north London ground.

The former business secretary was photographed at Lord’s on the same day he was warned he could face punishment for his comments about a Partygate probe.

Mr Rees-Mogg had branded Parliament’s Privileges Committee a ‘kangaroo court’ as it investigated whether Boris Johnson had deliberately misled MPs over his denials of Covid rule-breaking in Downing Street.

But the committee this morning rapped Mr Rees-Mogg and other staunch allies of Mr Johnson for their criticism of the inquiry.

They highlighted comments by a string of senior Tories – also including Nadine Dorries, Priti Patel and Lord Goldsmith – and claimed it was part of a co-ordinated attempt to undermine their work.

The committee said MPs should consider whether their actions could be classified as a contempt of Parliament and what further action to take. 

Jacob Rees-Mogg’s wife Helena de Chair was spotted on the edge of her seat today as Australian wickets fell at Lord’s

She joined her ex-Cabinet minister husband for a day at the cricket as they saw England finally bowl out Australia in their first innings of the second Ashes Test

Mr Rees-Mogg bunked off from the House of Commons, which began sitting at 9.30am, to watch Thursday’s play at the iconic north London ground

The former business secretary was photographed at Lord’s on the same day he was warned he could face punishment for his comments about a Partygate probe

The Privileges Committee this morning rapped Mr Rees-Mogg and other staunch allies of Mr Johnson for their criticism of its inquiry

This morning, as he dodged questions about the Privileges Committee’s criticism of him and other Johnson allies, Mr Rees-Mogg revealed he would be attending church and then the cricket.

He told reporters: ‘I’m actually going to church, because it is the feast of St Peter and St Paul and a holy day of obligation and I would encourage you all to do the same. 

‘Then I shall be at the Test match, which I am looking forward to.’

Mr Rees-Mogg and Ms de Chair, a close friend of his sister, married in 2007 and have six children – Peter, Mary, Thomas, Anselm, Alfred and their youngest Sixtus.

The politician’s wife has previously said she is ‘done’ with having children, saying after the birth of Sixtus in 2017: ‘I’ve told him (Jacob) there will be no Septimus and no Octopus.

‘I’ve had enough. He wants more but it’s easy for him to say.’ 

Mr Rees-Mogg has previously used his enthusiasm for cricket when drawing an analogy between the sport and the Partygate scandal.

After Mr Johnson was fined by police last year for breaching Covid rules, Mr Rees-Mogg told the BBC: ‘The prime minister thought that what he was doing was within the rules and the police have thought otherwise.

‘This is just like the DRS (Decision Review System) in cricket.

‘Sometimes the batsman in good faith thinks he’s not out lbw (leg before wicket), sometimes the upmire thinks he’s not out in good faith.

‘But it goes to the third umpire who says he was out – and then the batsman accepts the decision.’

Mr Rees-Mogg and Ms de Chair, a close friend of his sister, married in 2007 and have six children – Peter, Mary, Thomas, Anselm, Alfred and their youngest Sixtus

A new report published by the Privileges Committee today blasted allies of the ex-PM for trying to ‘influence the outcome of the inquiry’, ‘impede the work of the committee by inducing members to resign from it’, ‘discredit the committee’s conclusions if those conclusions were not what they wanted’ and ‘discredit the committee as a whole’.

The report added: ‘The committee is particularly concerned about attacks mounted by experienced colleagues, including a serving minister of the Crown, a former leader of the House and a former secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport.’ 

But some of those criticised in today’s report defended their actions.

Tory peer Lord Cruddas said: ‘If they don’t want people noticing they are a kangaroo court, then they should hop less.’

Labour MP Sir Chris Bryant, a former chairman of the Privileges Committee who backed its findings on Mr Johnson, said it was not clear that those who criticised its approach were guilty of a contempt of Parliament.

‘It’s a moot point,’ he said. ‘Where does freedom of speech end and contempt start?’

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