Jacob Rees-Mogg has hinted heavily that he will back Boris Johnson to be the next Prime Minister.
The chairman of the influential European Research Group (ERG) said he had a “very high option” of the former Foreign Secretary and London mayor.
Mr Rees-Mogg said that it would be “sensible” to wait until the leadership contest was under way before firmly selecting his favoured candidate.
But the backbench MP did appear to suggest that he would endorse Mr Johnson, who was his choice in the previous Conservative Party leadership contest.
He told ITV’s Acting Prime Minister podcast: "The party’s very lucky, there are a lot of very able people who would make excellent prime ministers.
“I have a very high opinion of Boris Johnson...but the competition hasn't yet started, so it's sensible to wait until it does.”
It comes after Theresa May promised Tory rebels she would stand down as leader if her Brexit deal, which has been rejected twice in the Commons, was given the green light.
Mr Rees-Mogg on Wednesday signalled he would back Mrs May’s agreement despite being one of its most vocal critics. Writing in the Daily Mail, he apologised "for changing my mind” before admitting “by doing so I will be accused of infirmity of purpose by some and treachery by others”.
But he added: "I have come to this view because the numbers in Parliament make it clear that all the other potential outcomes are worse and an awkward reality needs to be faced."
Mrs May's decision to tell the 1922 Committee that she "won't stand in the way" of new leadership prompted leading Brexiteer Mr Rees-Mogg to say: "The great joy of the Tory Party is it has so many talented people in it.
"It's like finding a fast bowler in Yorkshire. You just call and one appears."
