Nadine Dorries has accused Michael Gove of “positioning himself” to replace Rishi Sunak as Tory leader.
The close Boris Johnson ally made the comment after the Cabinet minister warned against net zero “religious crusade”.
Mr Gove called for a relaxation of some net zero measures after the Conservatives lost two by-elections last week but narrowly won in Boris Johnson’s former seat amid a backlash at London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s expansion of the ultra low emission zone (ULEZ).
Ms Dorries, who announced she was quitting as an MP but is yet to formally do so, said: “Michael Gove is positioning himself to be the next leader of the Conservative Party to replace Sunak.
“If there’s a populist wave riding through Westminster with nervous MPs, he’s the first to ride it.”
Ms Dorries’ intervention comes after Mr Gove called for the Tories to rethink some net zero policies following the by-elections.
He told The Telegraph: “One of the dangers … is that if people think that you are treating the cause of the environment as a religious crusade, in which you’re dividing the world into goodies and baddies, then you alienate the support that you need for thoughtful environmentalism.”
Labour’s loss in Uxbridge, which has been widely blamed on the hated ULEZ expansion, has sparked debate within the Tory Party over green plans.
Mr Gove, known as an effective political operator, torpedoed Mr Johnson’s leadership bid in 2016 when he ditched plans to run his campaign and announced he was throwing his hat in the ring.
He was fired by Mr Johnson when he battled to cling on as PM last summer in the face of a Cabinet revolt.
Meanwhile, Mr Gove was a bitter critic of Liz Truss during her brief stint in Downing Street.
He made his return to the Cabinet when Mr Sunak took the keys to No 10 last October.
