It’s not entirely clear who is more surprised that Jacob Rees-Mogg is being touted as the next Tory leader – the British public, or the MP for North East Somerset himself. Rees-Mogg has made a name for himself by appearing on the Ali G Show, naming his children Sixtus Dominic Boniface and Anselm Charles Fitzwilliam, and using obscure words like floccinaucinihilipilification in the chamber – but talk of a leadership bid is anything but a joke.

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On Tuesday the Ready For Rees-Mogg campaign – an unofficial Twitter account with a smattering of followers – announced that its “official” petition urging the 48-year-old MP to run for the top job had reached 20,000 signatures. According to a ConservativeHome blogger, “hundreds” of volunteers are poised to mobilise and form Mogg-mentum, and the campaign fund has £3,000 in the bank.

Granted, the “official” petition seems to have no verification process. (I can confirm it was signed last night by one Nelly, Not On Your.) But if this surge of enthusiasm is genuine, it should not fool you into thinking that this Eton- and Oxford-educated middle-aged white man, who spent years working in the City, is out of keeping with many Tory leaders who have come before.

At first glance, you can see the appeal Rees-Mogg might have for a Conservative party so desperate to reconnect with young people who have rejected their politics in such great numbers. His Instagram account has an impressive 36,000 followers, and he has finally joined Twitter (and despite posting in Latin, the numbers just keep rising). A quick check of The Middle Class Memes For Rees-Moggian Teens Facebook page will confirm to young voters that here is a Tory whose brand of Conservatism is a source of laughs, if cheap ones.

Admittedly, Tory high command isn’t known for having a grasp of meme culture – but the humour factor puts Rees-Mogg ahead of a woefully unimpressive pack.

But given that the bookies have put Rees-Mogg among the favourites to take up the reins of the party – and that Theresa May’s authority is crumbling, while her cabinet can’t stop leaking to the press – the joke has now gone far enough. Polling shows Rees- Mogg’s views are way out of step with what millennials’ think. From equal rights to climate change, making this “eccentric” MP our next prime minister would be a national disaster.

Rees-Mogg was only elected in 2010, but he has already produced a voting record that is anything but a barrel of laughs. He passed through the no lobby on the vote for same-sex marriage and wants to repeal the Human Rights Act. He penned a column for the Telegraph in defence of precarious zero-hours contracts. When it comes to climate change, a mantra of “why bother?” sums up his approach, and he is unembarrassed by his links to energy firms.

It was only three years ago that he addressed the Traditional Britain Group’s annual dinner – a far-right organisation that later, in a racist online diatribe, demanded Doreen Lawrence, mother of the murdered black teenager Stephen Lawrence, and “millions of others” be returned “to their natural homelands” – although he disassociated himself when the racism emerged.

We have made the mistake of letting laughter distract us from the dangerous views held by political figures too often

Rees-Mogg’s politics sit to the far right of the Conservative party – if Cameron was a moderniser and May a traditionalist, Moggism would see us dragged back to the days of Downton Abbey and before.

But as we’re in a political climate that allowed Boris Johnson’s buffoonery pave the way for Brexit, and Donald Trump to worm his way into the White House, it can’t be taken for granted that some Conservatives won’t try and secure for Rees-Mogg the keys to Downing Street.

He’s being floated because the Conservatives have no viable options: there’s a vacuum of talent on both the front and back benches that explains why May has been allowed to keep her ever weakening grip on No 10. When May is finally ousted, the only way to ensure Rees-Mogg is refused a shot at replacing her is not to laugh at his backwards beliefs, but to challenge them.

We have made the mistake of letting laughter distract us from the vile and dangerous views held by political figures far too often, so allowing hatred and hypocrisy to flourish. Rees-Mogg might now be counting himself out of a leadership bid, but 21st century Tories are hardly known for sticking to their word. Britain right now is many things, but we’re certainly not ready for Rees-Mogg.