Last month Jacob Rees-Mogg was being touted as the Conservative favourite to follow in Theresa May's footsteps.
He then shocked the nation with this interview on Good Morning Britain:
The politician announced that, due to his devout Catholicism, he thought abortion 'morally indefensible', even in the case of rape and incest.
Rees-Mogg has also historically consistently voted against equal gay rights, LGBT individuals in their fight for marriage equality, and ill and disabled people's access to increased welfare benefits.
Now we have learnt that the north east Somerset MP earns approximately £500 an hour from the firm Somerset Capital Management, which Rees-Mogg co-founded in 2007, which holds a £5 million investment in the Indonesian company Kalbe Farma.
According to the Metro, Kalbe Farme produced, markets and distributes Invitec, a brand name for the drug misoprostol, which can be used to terminate pregnancies.
In Indonesia, the drug is legally meant to treat stomach ulcers, but is commonly known to be an abortion drug.
The international women's rights organisation Women on Waves advises women with unwanted pregnancies in Indonesia to buy misoprostol, explaining:
Abortion is permitted to save a woman's life, in cases of foetal impairment and in cases of rape. Spousal authorisation is required. Misoprostol is available in pharmacies under the names Chromalux, Citrosol, Cytostol, Gastrul, Invitec and Noprostol.
Since the drug is used for some of the estimated two millions illegal abortions each year in Indonesia, it is interesting that Rees-Mogg does not see his direct profiteering as problematic.
He told the Metro, 'It would be wrong to pretend that I like it but the world is not always what you want it to be.'
He continued, 'Kalbe Farma obeys Indonesian law so it's a legitimate investment and there's no hypocrisy. The law in Indonesia would satisfy the Vatican.'
After accepting he does profit from these transactions 'in a very roundabout way', he distanced himself from the transactions saying:
This company does not procure the abortion of babies. It's not my money in these investments and I profit from the total amount of client money we hold, not the investments we make…I don't manage the funds and haven't done so since I became an MP. But the funds have to be run in accordance with the requirements of the investors and not according to my religious beliefs.
Rees-Mogg also explained on Good Morning Britain how his faith stopped his voting (multiple times) for marriage equality in the UK, begging the question, why does his Catholicism extend to his vote and not to his bank account?
A Maya Angelou quote renewed it's popularity last year in relation to the then President elect, Donald Trump, 'When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time'.
Perhaps we should keep it in mind for all politicians.
Daisy Murray is the Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, spotlighting emerging designers, sustainable shopping, and celebrity style. Since joining in 2016 as an editorial intern, Daisy has run the gamut of fashion journalism - interviewing Molly Goddard backstage at London Fashion Week, investigating the power of androgynous dressing and celebrating the joys of vintage shopping.
