Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency, Jacob Rees-Mogg, is allegedly considering a surprise entry into the Conservative leadership race as a "continuity Boris" candidate.
Several Conservative MPs have received communication from the Cabinet Office Minister this morning, probing them as to whether they thought he should enter the campaign, Christopher Hope, the Associate Politics Editor for The Telegraph, reports.
Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency in the Cabinet Office Jacob Rees-Mogg
Kirsty O'Connor
One MP informed Monday’s Chopper’s Politics newsletter that Mr Rees-Mogg is assessing whether he has support to stand as the “pro-Boris candidate”.
The MP said: “He would be brilliant and probably the only person all the pro-Boris [MPs] could support.”
A second Tory MP said the Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency was debating standing to attract eurosceptics.
When contacted by The Telegraph earlier today, Mr Rees-Mogg declined to comment.
The Cabinet minister remained loyal to Boris Johnson throughout his premiership
Stefan Rousseau
The news follows mounting concerns from the right wing of the party over the quality of candidates standing.
One Tory MP told Chopper’s Politics: “There is no panic, but there is a potential problem.
"We don’t want fragmentation of the Right. People have got to speak to one another.”
The 53-year-old politician declared his interest aged 12, when he famously said he would "love to become Prime Minister".
He was loyal to Boris Johnson throughout his premiership, and has held a variety of Cabinet positions as a result.
In the wake of the recent allegations against former Deputy Chief Whip Chris Pincher, Mr Rees-Mogg played down the string of resignations, saying "losing chancellors is something that happens".
Acknowledging the departures of Mr Johnson's top ministers last week, he said the Prime Minister appoints Cabinet ministers and is "not someone who is brought down by Cabinet ministers".
Mr Rees-Mogg also said that the Prime Minister had made a “minor mistake” over the Pincher controversy.