ITV News deputy political editor Anoushka Astana reports on the latest developments in the Tory leadership race as the candidates vying to become the next prime minister are whittled down to three
Kemmy Badenoch has been eliminated from the Tory leadership race, leaving three contenders vying to replace Boris Johnson as prime minister.
She received the support of just 59 Tories, while 118 backed Rishi Sunak, 92 voted for Penny Mordaunt and Liz Truss was backed by 86 of her peers. There was one damaged ballot.
Ms Truss appears to have the most momentum, picking up 15 votes on yesterday’s tally, while Ms Mordaunt won 10 and Mr Sunak increased his tally by just three.
Who’s who in the Tory leadership race?
The departure of former equalities minister Ms Badenoch was expected given she was competing against three MPs with extensive cabinet experience and was always seen as one of the outsiders in the race.
Tom Tudgendhat, who was eliminated from the race on Monday night, was another underdog who progressed much further in the race than expected.
Mr Sunak looks guaranteed to reach the bottom two as things stand, with Ms Truss and Ms Mordaunt hoping to win the votes provided by Ms Badenoch, who is leaving the race.
Either Penny Mordaunt, Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss will be the next Prime Minister of Great Britain. Credit: PA
In a statement, Ms Mordaunt said she was “so close to the finish line” as she paid tribute to her eliminated rival who “electrified the leadership race with her fresh thinking and bold policies”.
One of her backers – senior Tory Tobias Ellwood – was suspended from the parliamentary party on Tuesday morning after abstaining in Monday’s confidence vote.
A Tory cabinet spokeswoman said: “Tobias Ellwood MP has lost his Conservative seat after failing to vote in favor of the government in last night’s confidence vote.”
The vote was initiated by Boris Johnson in an attempt to show the Labor Party that his MPs have confidence in him to remain in Downing Street until a replacement is chosen.
It was held after the government rejected Labour’s motion for a vote of no confidence in the House of Commons, which could have led to a general election if the Tories had lost.
The government won by 349 votes to 238, a majority of 111.
Mr Ellwood, a long-time critic of Prime Minister Johnson – said he was “very sorry” to lose the whip but claimed he was unable to return from a meeting with the Moldovan president due to “unprecedented turmoil”.
It means the Bournemouth East MP, who supported Ms Mordaunt, will no longer be able to vote alongside her colleagues in the Conservative leadership election.
A Sky News debate scheduled for tonight, designed to give Tory MPs a final chance to assess the contenders before Wednesday’s vote, was canceled on Monday after Mr Sunak and Foreign Secretary Mr Truss said they would not take part.
The pair fell apart during Friday’s ITV debate – as did the other candidates – and the consensus among the Tories was that the blue-on-blue attacks were doing too much damage to the party.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out what you need to know…
This was seen as a gift to the Labor Party as much of the discussion involved the candidates indirectly criticizing their own government’s performance in an attempt to belittle each other.
In a statement, Sky said: “Two of the three candidates currently leading the MP ballots, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, have confirmed to Sky News that they do not want to run.
“Conservative MPs are said to be concerned about the damage the debates are doing to the image of the Conservative Party, exposing divisions and divisions within the party.”
The final two contenders – selected in Wednesday’s vote – will spend the summer appealing to the Tory’s estimated 160,000 members in a bid to win their votes.
The votes will be counted at the end of August, the winner will be announced on September 5 and will take office the next day.
Add Comment