John Lydon backs Jacob Rees-Mogg to be next prime minister

John Lydon has weighed in on the Tory leadership race, suggesting that he'd back Jacob Rees-Mogg to be the next prime minister.

The former Sex Pistols frontman appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored this week and suggested that the current minister for Brexit opportunities could take over from Boris Johnson.

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"You know who I’d like, and I know this is like way out and he’s probably not even in the running, that’s Jacob Rees-Mogg," said the man previously known as Johnny Rotten.

He added: "There’s something about that man. I love that World War Two respect, put-Britain-first attitude he has."

Lydon added that he believes Rees-Mogg to be "a genuinely nice person" and said that "in every single interview I’ve ever seen him do, he has me on the floor with his humour".

The rocker said: "He has civility so that makes him interesting, and it makes debate and conversation interesting."

Read more: John Lydon claims he was "ostracised" from Sex Pistols TV show

In the wake of the interview, Rees-Mogg himself reacted to Lydon's apparent endorsement, though made it clear he understood that Lydon's penchant for mischief could be at play.

"Even if my leg is being pulled I am honoured by this exceptionally kind endorsement by Mr Lydon, alias Johnny Rotten," he wrote on Twitter.

Lydon has been hitting the headlines in recent weeks in the wake of the release on Disney+ of Danny Boyle's limited series Pistol, which tells the story of the Sex Pistols' rise and fall in the 1970s.

In a recent interview on This Morning, Lydon said the show was "a pile of nonsense" and called Boyle an "a**hole" in a remark for which the presenters had to apologise.

Read more: Pistol cast reveal chaos behind filming of gig scenes

Anson Boon, who portrays Lydon in the series, told Yahoo Entertainment UK he left clues in his performance to show Lydon how detailed his research had been.

The actor added: "I'm excited for him to see it. I won't be surprised at anything he comes out with, but I'm just excited."

Watch: John Lydon criticises Sex Pistols TV series