"If you look at how European leaders come to power in the EU, they are appointed by and accountable to each other, not the people. The European Commission is the final destination for so many politicians rejected by voters in their own countries, even their own parties. They are an elite which looks after its own."
"From the U.K. alone, we see a litany of politicians like Chris Patten and Neil Kinnock, who lost elections and yet were given more power as European Commissioners than ever they had as elected politicians in Britain. In that respect it is worse than the House of Lords."
One of the principles of Catholic social teaching is subsidiarity, the organizing principle in which decisions made at the lowest level possible, to allow for greater accountability and responsiveness to the needs of the community. It is also a principle incorporated in to many of the EU's founding treaties.
But, Rees-Mogg warned, the EU's references to subsidiarity are in themselves no guarantee of accountability.
"Subsidiarity is a principle which I treat with the greatest of caution. We must remember that it is taken from perhaps the most centralised organization in the world, after all. It is the nation-state which is, in the end, subject to the people through elections, and it is the nation-state which properly serves the people and defends their interests."
As the U.K. government searches for a post-Brexit settlement acceptable to both the EU and the British parliament, trade remains a serious sticking point; the free flow of goods across the Irish border is one of several key considerations.
Many in the U.K. wanted to see a common agreement on the minimum standards of goods, to ensure that free trade can continue. But, from Rees-Mogg's perspective, EU regulations are often directed at creating a barrier to trade, not preserving common standards. The EU imposes regulatory standards on a rage of goods, including - for example- a minimum and maximum acceptable curvature for bananas.
"These non-tariff barriers are not about maintaining common standards. What they are is a conscious effort to block imports, even from some of the poorest countries, and they serve the European Union as an organization, not the people."
As Prime Minister Theresa May attempts to forge a last-minute deal that will satisfy all sides, it remains to be seen what final form Brexit will take.
In the meantime, Rees-Mogg told CNA he will continue to work for a Britain free from what he sees as an elitist institution- the EU.
"In a democracy, the first duty of a government is to protect the freedom of its people and the first freedom of the people is to hold their leaders to account."
Ed Condon is a canon lawyer and worked as Catholic News Agency's Washington DC editor until December 2020.