ALMOST half of Tory members would be happy to see Nigel Farage as the party's leader.
The finding comes from new research by YouGov that sought the party membership's views on a hypothetical scenario in which the leader of The Brexit Party takes over.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson says idea of a Scottish prime minister is 'utterly outrageous'
A majority of those surveyed were in favour or didn't mind Farage as their party leader.
Asked if they "would be happy" if he became leader, 46% said they would be happy, 40% said they would be unhappy and 13% said they would be neither happy or unhappy.
The same poll found that 83% of Tory members would find it "unacceptable" for the next party leader to be someone who wanted to remain in the EU.
Asked about a potential leader who was not willing to leave the EU without a deal, if that leader had not backed Brexit, 68% said it would be unacceptable.
Brexiteers who would not want to leave without a deal didn't receive a much more positive viewing – 63% still said this would be unacceptable.
READ MORE: A quarter of Tory members in the UK back Scottish independence
YouGov's Matthew Smith said: "Conservative members are not just ideologically committed to Brexit - they also genuinely believe that the failure to deliver on the result of the 2016 referendum will bring about the destruction of the party's electoral chances.
"Indeed, half (51%) of members believe that Britain ending up staying in the EU after all would damage the party to the extent that it will never lead a government again, and another 29% think it would put the party out of power for multiple elections to come.
"By contrast, most members believe that successfully bringing about Brexit will win the Tories at least the next election."
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