Jacob Rees-Mogg has been elected as the new leader of an influential group of pro-Brexit Tory backbenchers.

The North East Somerset MP will head the European Research Group (ERG), which was formed by Eurosceptic Conservatives and campaigns for a hardline approach to Brexit. Its members have urged the Government to take a tougher stance during negotiations with Brussels.

Both of the group’s recent leaders, Steve Baker and Suella Fernandes, have been made ministers at the Department for Exiting the European Union.

The new role will give Mr Rees-Mogg, an advocate of a hard Brexit, new influence over the process of Britain’s withdrawal from the EU.

After being elected, he confirmed he will use the position to campaign for Theresa May’s plan to remove Britain from the EU single market and customs union.

“I am delighted to have been elected in succession to Suella Fernandes and Steve Baker who were both superb chairmen,” he said. “In this role I am keen to help the Government implement the principles laid down by the Prime Minister, Mrs Theresa May, in her Lancaster House speech. It is especially important to achieve control of our laws, control immigration and achieve new trade agreements with other countries.

“The ERG speaks individually not with the collective view but has considerable support across the parliamentary party. As chairman I intend to be helpful, vigorous and supportive towards government policy of making a success of Brexit.”

Mr Rees-Mogg has been tipped as a future Conservative leadership candidate and would be likely to secure support from the right of the Tory party in a contest. He is popular among party members and has built a reputation as an entertaining speaker.

Brexit: the deciders Show all 8 1 /8 Brexit: the deciders Brexit: the deciders European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty Brexit: the deciders French President Emmanuel Macron Getty Brexit: the deciders German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters Brexit: the deciders Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA Brexit: the deciders The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty Brexit: the deciders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images Brexit: the deciders Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA Brexit: the deciders After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA

Critics, however, say his eccentricity masks hardline right-wing views. It emerged last month that the Old Etonian had recently met with Steve Bannon, Donald Trump’s former chief strategist and previously the chairman of right wing website Breitbart News, to discuss how conservative movements could prosper in the UK and US.

The pro-Europe Open Britain campaign said Mr Rees-Mogg’s election to head the ERG was like allowing a “hungry fox” to enter a chicken coop.

The campaign’s director, James McGrory, said: “The Government being offered help with Brexit by Jacob Rees-Mogg is like a farmer being offered assistance with their chicken coop by a hungry fox.

“For Brextremists like Rees-Mogg, yanking out of the single market and customs union is only the start of a hard-line agenda that includes deregulation and the stripping away consumer protections and workers’ rights.