Douglas Ross has been branded a "super heavyweight" by Michael Gove as the Tories try to draw a halt to the civil war raging in their party.
The Scottish Conservatives leader infuriated his colleagues at Westminster last month when he demanded that Boris Johnson resign as Prime Minister in the wake of the Partygate scandal.
Ross was backed by his MSPs at Holyrood as well as former leader Ruth Davidson - with many privately fearing the scandal-prone PM is a threat to the future of the Union.
But his actions saw him dismissed as a "lightweight" by senior Tory and Johnson loyalist Jabob Ress-Mogg.
Now Michael Gove - who is promoting the UK Government's long-awaited Levelling Up strategy - has insisted he and the Prime Minister view Ross as the right man to hold Nicola Sturgeon to account at Holyrood.
Asked about his relationship with his Scottish party colleagues, Gove told BBC Radio Scotland: "In my opinion, Douglas is a super heavyweight.
"Douglas Ross is a friend of mine. He is a brilliant leader of the Scottish Conservatives. He does a fantastic job not just in Westminster but also in Holyrood.
"I can only speak for myself in this regard. I think Douglas has assembled a top-rate team in Holyrood."
Asked if Rees-Mogg should have apologised for his comments. Gove added: "I never invite other people to apologise, I always apologise myself if I make a mistake.
"Speaking for myself - and I know for the Prime Minister as well - we think Douglas is a fantastic champion for Scotland. He holds the First Minister to rigorously to account and he has the right policy agenda for the future of Scotland.
"And there are other members of the Scottish Conservative party - Donald Cameron, Russell Findlay, and others - who are doing a brilliant job.
"We as a Conservative team should be recognising that we are stronger together."
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