Maverick Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg has said privately he wants to succeed Theresa May, it was claimed last night.

‘Hard Brexit’ supporter Mr Rees-Mogg let slip his leadership ambition at a private lunch, according to Anglo-US academic Ted Malloch.

Professor Malloch, who has close links with US President Donald Trump, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘I was at a lunch with Jacob very recently and he indicated he would like to be considered for the leadership when the time comes.

‘Hard Brexit’ supporter Mr Rees-Mogg let slip his leadership ambition at a private lunch, according to Anglo-US academic Ted Malloch

‘He did not mean now, but at some point in the future.’

Right-wing US Republican Prof Malloch urged the Conservatives to sack ‘weak’ Mrs May and replace her immediately with Tory ‘lion’ Mr Rees-Mogg.

‘The Conservative conference should make a bold move for new, fresh and even “cool” leadership,’ said Prof Malloch.

‘This administration is weak and poorly governed. Its presently disabled leader should be replaced sooner, not later.’

‘The Conservative conference should make a bold move for new, fresh and even “cool” leadership,’ said Prof Malloch, who was at a lunch with Rees Mogg

The Tories needed someone ‘strong and charismatic’ to see off Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Professor Malloch also took a thinly veiled side swipe at Mr Rees-Mogg’s fellow Old Etonian Conservative leadership rival, accident-prone Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

The selfie with Jezza that won over Osborne Junior Jeremy Corbyn posed for a selfie with George Osborne after the former Chancellor said he wanted the photo for his teen son. The disclosure came as it emerged the grown-up offspring of one of the most senior Cabinet Ministers as well as the children of several Tory Ministers and MPs voted Labour. The ‘Tory kids for Jezza’ move has been reported to Conservative chiefs as they struggle to devise a way of combating the Labour leader’s popularity among the young. One Conservative MP said: ‘When my son told me had voted Labour I was very surprised. He said Corbyn appealed to him and his friends politically and personally, but the Conservatives didn’t appear to speak the same language. I’ve heard the same story from colleagues, including members of the Government.’ Mr Osborne’s son Luke, 16, is too young to vote. However, he campaigned for Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable in the Election. Well-placed sources say Mr Osborne asked Mr Corbyn for a selfie when the pair appeared on the Andrew Marr Show after the Election. Last night, a source close to Mr Osborne said he thought it would ‘amuse’ his son. Advertisement

The party needed ‘a charismatic and articulate leader who knows policy inside out, not a buffoon’, he said.

Mr Rees-Mogg was a ‘PG Wodehouse-style Victorian throwback’ but also ‘the backbone of everything British, the John F Kennedy of this generation’.

He was ‘principled, patriotic, likeable, friendly, intelligent, charming, moral and humane’, he added.

North East Somerset MP Mr Rees-Mogg yesterday confirmed he had lunch with Prof Malloch, but denied suggesting he wanted to be leader.

He said: ‘I said it is unrealistic for me to go from the backbenches to being leader. I am not a Cabinet Minister so it is hard to see how I could be a candidate. It is improbable bordering on impossible.’

However, he declined to rule out ever making a challenge.

‘There is no formulation of words I could use that would satisfy people but it is just not going to happen. It’s got nothing to do with me or my ambitions – it’s to do with political reality. I am not delusional.’

He also pledged his loyalty to Mrs May, saying ‘it’s in the interests of the country that she remains in office with the full backing of the Conservative Party’.

But ex-Tory MP and Times journalist Matthew Parris yesterday backed the growing number who say Mr Rees-Mogg uses his charm and wit to conceal his leadership ambition.

‘Artful’ Mr Rees-Mogg’s constant denials that he sought the Tory crown were ‘murky,’ said Mr Parris. ‘Everything seems to end in another media performance by the man himself, if only to protest his unambition,’ said Mr Parris.

He compared Mr Rees-Mogg’s appeal to the Tory grassroots as that of Mr Corbyn to Labour activists.

The new Boris? No, but he could be the new Corbyn Just as Boris Johnson’s standing has slumped among the Tory faithful, the popularity of fellow Old Etonian Jacob Rees-Mogg has soared COMMENT By Brendan Carlin, Political Reporter Just as Boris Johnson’s standing has slumped among the Tory faithful, the popularity of fellow Old Etonian Jacob Rees-Mogg has soared. The ‘young fogey’ has gone in a matter of weeks from minor TV celebrity and backbench curiosity to genuine contender for the top job in party members’ eyes. But Mr Rees-Mogg is being seen not so much as the ‘new Boris’, but rather as the ‘Tory Corbyn’. Conservative activists are according him the type of pop star hero worship that Labour Left-wingers have given their leader. On the ConservativeHome website beloved of grassroots activists, he effectively came second – ahead of Mr Johnson – in a poll on future party leaders without even being formally in the survey. Party supporters were so keen on ‘the Mogg’, as he is known on social media, that they wrote his name into the poll. That is despite the 48-year-old son of former Times editor William Rees-Mogg dampening leadership speculation while never quite ruling out that he could one day be a candidate. ‘Domine, non sum dignus,’ says the staunch Roman Catholic, a quotation from the traditional Latin rite of the Mass (‘Lord, I am not worthy’). Looking for all the world like a throwback to another age in his double-breasted suits and ties – he does not even own a pair of jeans – he has only been an MP since 2010, representing North East Somerset. A successful investment manager by profession, Oxford-educated Mr Rees-Mogg rapidly earned a reputation in the Commons for his courtesy to the Opposition benches and for being so apparently unashamed of his ‘Tory toff’ pedigree. Married to heiress Helena de Chair, he is reportedly sitting on a combined family fortune of £150 million, although he insists the figure is greatly exaggerated. But, like Corbyn, it is his authenticity, say friends, that so appeals to the Tory faithful – plus his steadfast arch-Brexiteer credentials, they might add. Said one Tory MP: ‘You can’t really separate the zeal for Jacob among our people from the enthusiasm among Labour members for Corbyn. ‘They’re both a bit unreal in a way and seemingly out of time. In fact, Jacob seems to revel in his fusty old image. Not for nothing is he known in the Commons as the MP for the 17th Century!’ Mr Rees-Mogg and his wife have six children. The latest arrival, the appropriately named Sixtus, was christened yesterday. But some women Tory MPs say his arch-traditionalist approach – one that included voting against gay marriage – would crash and burn under the glare of a leadership contest. One said: ‘It’s all very well being feted as a colourful character… it’s another when you are bidding to represent and lead the country.’ Woundingly for Mr Johnson, Mr Rees-Mogg has also been described as ‘Boris with financial brains.’ One MP said: ‘If Jacob doesn’t become leader and Prime Minister, he would make an excellent Chancellor.’ Advertisement

Mr Rees-Mogg could follow Mr Corbyn’s route to the Tory leadership by appealing over the heads of MPs to party members.

Mr Parris says if Right-winger Mr Rees-Mogg achieved his leadership dream, he would be ‘pure hemlock for the 21st Century Conservative Party’. ‘His manners are perfumed but his opinions are poison,’ said Mr Parris.

‘He is an unfailing, unbending, unrelenting reactionary. His record on every moral, social or sexual issue is brute moral conservative.’

Why a smooth Brexit trade deal should cost us nothing

By Tory MP and ex-Cabinet Minister John Redwood

Settling the membership bill for your sports club is something you do all the time you belong to the club.

But who in their right mind forks out for membership after you have left the club?

Settling the membership bill for your sports club is something you do all the time you belong to the club, writes John Redwood

That is what some EU Commissioners - and even some UK officials - seem to think we should do after we have left the EU. .

According to informed reports, in return for a ‘smooth’ departure from the EU, Brussels wants the UK to pay a £36 billion bill The EU would then begin talks on tariff-free access to their markets.

But it is total nonsense to suggest we should pay anything.

It would be completely against the EU’s self-interest to deny us free access to the Single Market.

The EU countries sell far more to the UK than we export to them; impeding free trade would be self-harm.

We would earn much more from tariffs on incoming EU goods than we would pay on British-made exports.

The EU would be the ones worse off.

On recent figures, the UK would get about £12bn in tariffs a year that could be given back to consumers and businesses as tax cuts.

So asked what I would pay for a ‘smooth Brexit’, I say ‘nothing’.

Until we leave, we must pay the budget contributions we owe under EU Treaties - irritating though this is to many Out voters who now want to get on with it.

Last week’s tales about EU commissioners hiring expensive executive jets to travel around in only reinforces why the UK voted so decisively to leave in the first place.

Remainers may query the figures but it’s undeniable that large amounts of money will be saved from Brexit – cash the UK can spend on priorities such as the NHS and social care.

The sooner we get control of that money, the better.

But the UK also needs to stop negotiating with itself.

We should concentrate on setting out what a friendly and generous package we are offering for our future relationship.

The European Commission may not immediately like it but there are many French dairy farmers, Danish pig farmers and German car manufacturers who would like carry on exporting to us tariff-free.

The good news is, we say Yes to that.

The bad news is, their EU bosses are dragging their feet.

So it’s up to Britain to get this good news across to EU citizens.

The UK is willing to offer tariff-free access to our very lucrative market.

All we ask is the same access to theirs.

And we are willing to share our intelligence and counter-terrorism information, offer military co-operation, and welcome students and people with talent, ideas, investment and qualifications as we do today.

The UK can be a better partner for Brussels once we’ve actually left the club.

Just not at the price of paying for a membership after we have gone.

My country must come before my party if Theresa May sides with the hardliners, writes former minister ANNA SOUBRY

With the Brexit negotiations beginning in earnest, Theresa May will need all the wise counsel she can get, writes Anna Soubry

As the Prime Minister returns to Number 10 from her holiday, the key to the future of our country and the Conservative Party lies in what she does in the next few months.

With the Brexit negotiations beginning in earnest, Theresa May will need all the wise counsel she can get. Fortunately, there are sensible, moderate wise owls in the Cabinet and on the Conservative back benches.

Mrs May must waste no time in taking on the ‘Hard Brexiteers’ and making it clear that she sides with responsible Cabinet Ministers – such as Chancellor Philip Hammond – who appreciate that we need a sensible Brexit transition period to avoid plunging this country headlong into an economic nightmare.

In other words – the wise owls should be ruling the roost.

But if the Prime Minister or her successor (in the event of Theresa standing down) is not prepared to confront the ideologues, I gravely fear that the party could split – and that would change Britain’s political landscape completely.

Many Remainers like me have been true to our promise to respect the result of last year’s referendum.

However, we must face up to the Brexit reality: It is fantasy to think we are going to get a good deal from the EU based on our current negotiating strategy. People will soon see how they have been conned by the Brexiteers. All options must go back on the table.

There is a sense of resignation among most people who voted Remain that we have to ‘man up’ – even the women among us – and make the most of what we know will be a rotten Brexit.

If the Prime Minister or her successor (in the event of Theresa standing down) is not prepared to confront the ideologues, I gravely fear that the party could split

But it does not have to be like that. Brexit is a self-inflicted wound; the people of this country hold the knife and they don’t have to use it if they don’t want to. The people, not the hardline Brexiteers, are in charge.

We will soon have a better idea of what type of Brexit we are heading for. Mrs May must be careful not to steer the country or the party in the wrong direction. She must take both with her.

That means Tory party managers must not issue wild threats against any Conservative who expresses an opinion contrary to the views of those who would seek a ruinous ‘Hard Brexit’. Treating people like me as the ‘enemy within’, as opposed to patriots with a legitimate and well-considered view shared by millions of voters, will achieve nothing.

Mrs May is making a great mistake if she allows her policy to be dictated by the Brexit ideologues. They effectively brought down John Major, David Cameron and, arguably, Margaret Thatcher – and will not hesitate to do the same to her.

I would be betraying my principles if I did not make it clear that country must always come before party, writes Anna Soubry

I am proud of my loyalty to my party and my country.

People have asked me two questions, if the worst happened and we staggered recklessly towards a ‘Hard Brexit’ that would destroy the lives and livelihoods of my constituents: Could I ever see myself joining with like-minded people who want to save our country from such an appalling fate? And has that moment arrived yet?

The answer to the first question is ‘it is not impossible’; the answer to the second is ‘no’.

But I would be betraying my principles if I did not make it clear that country must always come before party.