A cabinet minister has slammed protesters who mobbed Sir Keir Starmer in London as he also praised pupils during a visit to a school in Croxley Green.

Jacob Rees-Mogg spoke to students at Rickmansworth School on Thursday afternoon in a question-and-answer session while also discussing democracy.

The Brexit Opportunities Minister said that the school was “impressive” and that his visit had been “great”.

He told the Watford Observer: “The questions I was asked by the students were very intelligent, well thought through and required serious answers. So it’s very impressive.”

Gagan Mohindra, South West Hertfordshire MP, was also at the school on Thursday.

Speaking about Mr Rees-Mogg's visit, he said: “I am truly honoured to have my dear colleague and very experienced cabinet member coming to the patch.

“I look forward to Jacob coming back again. It’s one of those things as a Conservative MP, especially a new one, you realise you are part of a big team and when you have ministerial colleagues who are so supportive it makes it all worthwhile.”

Watford Observer:

Mr Rees-Mogg also spoke to the Observer about the incident involving Sir Keir, who was surrounded by a mob of people heard shouting about claims the Labour Leader failed to prosecute Jimmy Savile.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week accused his rival of failing to prosecute notorious paedophile Savile while he was director of public prosecutions.

Sir Keir apologised while director of public prosecutions in 2013 for the CPS having failed to bring Savile to justice four years earlier.

There is, however, no evidence that Sir Keir had any personal role in the failure to prosecute the man who was one of Britain’s most egregious sex offenders before his death in 2011.

Read more - MPs slam 'appalling behaviour' seen from mob targetting Sir Keir Starmer

Mr Rees-Mogg said: “It is wrong that people cannot go about their lawful business without being surrounded by a mob.

"I’m the greatest advocate for freedom of speech and the freedom of expression but the area around parliament ought to be safe for people to get around their democratic duties and business. So the attack on Sir Kier is absolutely outrageous.

“We need to make sure for democratic accountability that MPs and Peers going in and out of Parliament are kept safe without stopping people having the right to express their views.”

He also added that Boris Johnson still has his “full support” as police continue to investigate lockdown parties in Downing Street.

The Metropolitan Police said they would be widening their inquiries to cover a quiz night in No 10 on December 2020 after a photograph emerged of the Prime Minister and colleagues near an open bottle of sparkling wine.

Mr Rees-Mogg said: “The PM has my absolute full support. He’s got all the big decisions right during Covid, the economic decision to have the furlough scheme, the decision to go for the vaccine.

"We bought millions of vaccines before we knew whether they would work. We spent billions of pounds on a hope that turned out to be fundamental to our reopening. 

"We are reopening faster than any other country and these big decisions were all taken by the Prime Minister."