Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt, Liz Truss and Kemi Badenoch all made Monday’s ballot to continue in the race, while Tom Tugendhat was knocked out. But as the leadership candidates battle for the support of their fellow Tory MPs, their outgoing boss will hold his final cabinet meeting in Number 10. Politics Hub: Sunak on top as field narrows in Tory leadership race Mr Johnson is expected to discuss the heat wave with his ministers – after facing criticism for missing three emergency COBRA meetings on the issue in recent days – as well as marking the anniversary of England’s exit from the COVID measures . He is expected to say: “A year on from the successful reopening, we can reflect on what our brilliant NHS and country have achieved and we should be proud of how far we have come. “Without our wonderful scientists and clinicians and everyone who made their vaccine, we would have had a longer and bumpier road.” Mr Johnson will host the cabinet meeting after his government survived a motion of confidence, which the government tabled against it after rejecting an attempt by Labor to do so. As the prime minister presides over his final cabinet meeting, Nadhim Zahawi will deliver his first speech as chancellor in the city. How much policy he is able to make is unclear given the uncertainty surrounding his future on the job. Image: Boris Johnson will chair the last scheduled cabinet meeting today The remaining candidates to replace the Prime Minister were due to take part in a debate on Sky News this afternoon, but it was canceled after Mr Sunak and Ms Truss refused to take part. However, they have no choice but to face the ballot, which will see the leadership hopeful with the lowest number of votes being eliminated from the contest. Former chancellor Mr Sunak continued to lead the pack last night, securing 115 votes in the third round, while Ms Mordaud remained in second place with 82 votes. Foreign Minister Ms Truss won the support of 71 MPs, Ms Badenoch had the support of 58 and Mr Tugendhat, who chairs the foreign affairs committee, received just 31 votes. Candidates will now hope to win over the Tugendhat group and increase their tally in the fourth round of voting, which is expected at 3 p.m. – excluding another candidate from the field. The bottom three will face another ballot on Wednesday, with the final two confirmed by the end of the day. The pair will hold inductions in the summer before a vote by the wider party membership, with the final result expected to be announced on September 5.
