The Conservative Party would be "idiots" not to elect Boris Johnson as leader, Tory MP Nadine Dorries has said.
In an interview with Total Politics magazine, the fierce critic of David Cameron said it was only a matter of time before the mayor of London would replace the prime minister.
"He will be a leader of the Tory Party, there’s no doubt. He’s won two major elections, and nobody else in the party matches that at the moment. We would be idiots not to have Boris. He’d take the party back to the highlands again pretty easily," she said.
And Dorries, who was only recently readmitted to the Conservative Party following a suspension for appearing on the 'I'm A Celebrity' TV programme, said the party would not win the next election with Cameron in charge.
"I understand it’s important to put out the message that we’re going to have a Conservative majority with Cameron," she said. "The people who say that are foolhardy and setting themselves up to look like idiots."
"There’s an element of political naivety and delusion; it shows disconnect from the general public.”
The Mid Bedfordshire MP has also floated the idea of standing as a joint Tory-Ukip candidate in the 2015 election.
And she told the magazine she would have "exactly the same values" as any Ukip candidate that stood against her. "It would make sense to talk about at least a joint candidacy,” she said.