Jacob Rees-Mogg, the tweedy Conservative candidate for the new parliamentary seat of North-East Somerset, has been caught red-handed trying to rip off the Sun newspaper in his latest campaign leaflet.
Rees-Mogg – who, as the son of the former Times editor Lord Rees-Mogg, should perhaps know better – admitted that a flier posted through residents’ doors in the constituency contained text lifted directly from an article by the Sun’s political guru Trevor Kavanagh. “Though the piece expresses my views, I did not specifically write it, although I agree with the points made,” says the Moggster, pictured left.
“While the points are valid, plagiarism is a bad thing and I will drop a note to Mr Kavanagh apologising. We won’t ask the person who did write this to write for us again. It’s an embarrassing matter for which I apologise.”
To his credit, Kavanagh is taking what amounts to intellectual theft with a pinch of salt. “Jacob was good enough to call and apologise” he told me. “I told him I was flattered and not at all offended.” Link

Via Greenslade.