In the fourth round of voting by Tory MPs, the candidates received the following support:
Kemi Badenoch – 59 Penny Mordaunt – 92 Rishi Sunak – 118 Liz Truss – 86
There was a spoiled ballot paper and an eligible MP did not vote. Former Equalities Secretary Ms Badenoch took to Twitter to thank her supporters, saying what her campaign had achieved in two weeks “demonstrates the level of support for our vision for change for our country and for the Conservative Party”. . Politics Hub: Rishi Sunak unlikely to win against remaining candidates, poll shows Another vote will be held on Wednesday, which will leave just two candidates – and all eyes will be on where Ms Badenoch’s 59 votes go. Defense Secretary Leo Docherty became the first of her supporters to announce he would now back Foreign Secretary Ms Truss to become the next Prime Minister.
More on the Tory Leadership Race
Trade Secretary Anne Marie-Trevelyan – a former supporter of Tom Tugendhat, who was voted out in the previous round of voting – also declared her support for Ms Truss. She saw a rise in her vote, up 15 from yesterday, but Ms Mordaunt remains in second place, with her support up 10 votes. The Trade Secretary said she was now “almost over the finish line” and “rare to go”, adding that she was “excited to put my case to members across the country and win”. Ms Mordaunt also paid tribute to the latest candidate to pass away, saying: “I want to pay tribute to my friend Kemi Badenoch who anchored the leadership contest with her fresh thinking and bold policies. “She and I both know that the old way of governing isn’t working as it should. Voters want change, and we owe it to them to offer a bold new vision for this country.” Former chancellor Mr Sunak remained top of the pack, but with 118 votes, he was just shy of the 120 needed to secure a place in the bottom two. A source close to his campaign reiterated her belief that “only Rishi can win [Labour leader Sir Keir] Starmer’, and that Mr Sunak ‘is the candidate the public believe would make the best prime minister’. They added: “Rishi has gone ahead today because he is the candidate with the clearest plan to restore confidence, rebuild the economy, reunify the country and because he is best placed to win Labor at the next election. “MPs also recognize that Rishi has the best experience and plans to deal with the current financial situation. “Rishi will rebuild our economy by containing inflation so we can grow our economy and unlock Britain’s full opportunities after Brexit.” Image: The final three in the Tory leadership contest are Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt After tomorrow’s vote, the remaining candidates will face a summer of campaigning and campaigning before a vote by the wider party membership, with the winner expected to be announced on September 5. But while Ms Badenoch was stuck in fourth place throughout the polls, a YouGov poll of Conservative members ahead of today’s results showed she would beat any of her three rivals in a final showdown. The poll suggested she would beat Mr Sunak by 56 votes to 34, Ms Mordaud by 48 votes and Ms Truss by 46 votes to 43. The same poll also showed Mr Sunak would struggle to win over Tory members, regardless of which of the remaining candidates he might face in the bottom two. After the result, former candidate Mr Tugendhat said he was “sorry” to see Ms Badenoch exit the contest. “He brought courage and substance to the argument and will add to the future UK government,” he posted on social media. Earlier today, senior Tory MP Tobias Ellwood was stripped of the whip – meaning he could not vote in the party’s fourth leadership vote. The move was a punishment after Mr Ellwood failed to take part in yesterday’s vote of confidence in the government. Mr Ellwood, chairman of the defense select committee, said he was “very sorry” to lose the Tory whip but claimed he was unable to return from a meeting with the president of Moldova due to “unprecedented disruption”. The remaining runners will not face each other in a debate scheduled by Sky News for tonight after Mr Sunak and Ms Truss refused to take part. Conservative MPs are said to be concerned about the damage the previous debates have done to the party’s image after revealing disagreements and divisions between the leading candidates. The leadership contest was sparked when Boris Johnson announced he would leave Downing Street following an avalanche of ministerial resignations over his handling of the Chris Pincher scandal. He will remain prime minister until his successor is appointed.
