Rees-Mogg says he doesn’t want to oust May

Bloomberg

Outspoken Brexit supporter and frequent government critic Jacob Rees-Mogg said he’s not going to challenge Prime Minster Theresa May for her job.
“I don’t wish to be prime minister, I’m very happy as a backbench minister in Parliament,” Rees-Mogg said on the BBC’s “Andrew Marr Show” on Sunday. “Of course I wouldn’t challenge the prime minister. The prime minister has my full support.”
Rees-Mogg chairs the European Research Group, a caucus of Conservatives who want maximum distance from the European Union. He said he expects the prime minister to deliver on promises to leave the customs union and to not allow a transition period out of the bloc to drag on too long.
The Mail on Sunday reported that Rees-Mogg bought a house next to the Houses of Parliament, stoking speculation that he may make a bid to become the next Conservative Leader. The Sun said Tory grandees have a plan to replace May with Environment Secretary Michael Gove, another outspoken critic of EU membership, as soon as Brexit occurs in March 2019, with Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson tapped to lead the party into the next scheduled election in 2022.
The prime minister will bring the European Union Withdrawal Bill back to Parliament in June for votes that will become a showdown between the rival factions of the Conservative Party. That will happen right before a crucial summit with EU leaders to negotiate the departure terms.
The most contentious issue remains the border between Northern Ireland, part of the UK, and the Republic of Ireland, a member of the EU. Keeping the border open without checks on trade may require Britain to stay in a customs union with the bloc, an outcome strongly opposed by Rees-Mogg and his allies. A transition period, agreed in March, in which the status quo is maintained allows more time to come up with a solution.
May has put off difficult Brexit votes until now, because with no majority in the lower House of Commons, she couldn’t be sure of prevailing. The EU Withdrawal Bill suffered multiple defeats during consideration in the upper House of Lords, meaning that the government is now asking the Commons to reverse 15 amendments, including dealing with the customs union issue.