Mr Rees-Mogg lavished praise on his fellow Conservative MP Boris Johnson, as his bid for Downing Street intensified. Mrs May announced she would resign from the top job if and when MPs back her botched Brexit deal. With numerous votes on how the UK should leave the EU being shut down during the week, Mrs May’s premiership has been severely tested.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Mr Rees-Mogg distanced himself from taking over from Mrs May but claimed Mr Johnson was a “formidably able candidate”.

Speaking in an interview on Chopper’s Brexit Podcast, the European Research Group chair said: “I will not be Prime Minister.

“I’m not going to be a candidate – that I wouldn’t have any support among MPs, though I might have some support amongst the party and the country.”

He added: “She may go but that won’t change the fact that we may be indefinitely caught in a backstop and I don’t like that.

“I can live with the transition period – we know it’s really no worse than being in the EU so I can just about stomach that – but it’s the backstop.”

His comments came after another chaotic day in Parliament.

Mrs May allowed the Commons to have a vote on whether to rubber stamp May 22 as the new leaving date, after ruling out the original one which was set for March 29.

Ministers are concerned that the move will be rejected.

They fear this could lead to a further delay of Brexit by months and potentially years.

Opponents of Mrs May’s Brexit deal, including Labour and the DUP, threatened to vote down a motion that would approve some of her deal.

Speculation about an early general also grew in Westminster amid fears that the deadlock between warring parties and MPs could not be broken.

Opposition sources said a junior member of the Government had privately admitted Mrs May would trigger a national poll “if things fall apart” today or early next week.

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