Penny Mordaunt Is Set To Rise As Mps Backing Tom Tugendhat Appear To Be Backing Her

And consolidates the second position. Sunak takes maybe seven and goes past the crucial mark of 120. Three-four each to Truss and Badenoch. If correct Badenoch out tomorrow. ORIGINAL BLOG: The contest for second place in the Tory leadership contest between Penny Mordaunt, Liz Truss and Kemi Badenoch has just had a serious scare – as I thought it might after their inconclusive participation in last night’s ITV debate. Mr Sunak is now in the final knockout phase, where Tory MPs can choose between the duo proposed by MPs, barring an extreme accident. That’s five out of the magic 120 which guarantees him a summer full of fun or misery, depending on your preference. And he will probably be home and dry tomorrow, because it looks very likely that most of the 31 supporters of Tom Tugendhat, who was disqualified tonight, will be transferred to the former chancellor. Mr Sunak got 14 votes, far more than anyone else – including at least some of the far-right Brexity votes that Attorney-General Suella Braverman tried to promise Liz Truss. Mr Truss, the foreign secretary, polled just seven votes – just a quarter of what Ms Braverman managed to deliver – but remains in third place with 71. While Kemi Badenoch came closest, with nine more supporters, and a new account 58. The Tory leadership candidates and presenter Julie Etchingham on stage at the ITV televised debate. Credit: Jonathan Hordle/ITV/PA Penny Mordaunt remains second with 82 votes, but has slightly reversed, losing a supporter. Here’s the big news. Mrs Mordaunt’s margin over Mrs Truss may look comfortable, but she will now struggle massively to reach that 120 mark. The chances of Ms Mordaunt becoming Prime Minister are very slim because the combined vote of Ms Truss and Ms Badenoch is 129 – and that the right-wing Brexit vote is likely to coalesce behind one of Ms Truss and Badenoch, either through a formal agreement between the two or Darwinian competition. Or to put it another way, tonight will be the tensest and most important night of lobbying that Mrs Truss and Mrs Badenoch have ever experienced. Because in tomorrow’s heat we will have a sense of which of these two will challenge Mr Sunak to become Britain’s next Prime Minister. Want a quick and special update on the biggest news? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out what you need to know