Liz Truss followers demand Jacob Rees-Mogg will get prime Tory job as social gathering ‘too left-wing’

A Liz Truss fanclub has backed Jacob Rees-Mogg to return from the wilderness and become Tory chairman – moaning the party’s now too left wing.

The Popular Conservatism group – which was launched by the 49-day Prime Minister earlier this year – also suggested Boris Johnson and Lord Frost for the role. Sir Jacob was kicked out by voters at the General Election, but has indicated he may stand as an MP again – and in the meantime supporters say he could take on the chairmanship.

A survey by the hard-right faction found 48% think the current party is “left of centre”. They want to see hardliners Robert Jenrick or Kemi Badenoch become the next leader and steer them away from the centre. But it won’t be popular across the party, with former PM John Major pleading with party members not to lurch to the right in a desperate bid to win over Reform UK voters.

Four MPs – Mr Jenrick, Ms Badenoch, James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat – are slugging it out to become Tory leader, with the result due on November 2. Mark Littlewood, director of Popular Conservatism, whined: “It is clear that the overwhelming majority of Tory members believe the party has drifted far too far to the soggy middle ground or even to the left of centre.

“About nine in ten want a meaningful shift back to traditional, right of centre conservative territory.”

In the last round of polling Mr Jenrick came out on top, with Mr Cleverly in second place. All four remaining candidates will make their case to Tory members at the party conference next week, before MPs narrow the field down to two.

The winner will then be picked by party members, who previously inflicted Ms Truss on the country. Sir John urged the party to focus on centre-right voters, saying this is “where our natural support really lies”. He pointed out that the party lost more seats to Labour and the Lib Dems than to Reform.

He said: “We lost five [seats] to Reform UK and people are jumping up and down, and some, rather reckless people are saying, well we must merge with them. Well, that will be fatal.”