LONDON (Parliament Politics Magazine) – In the most recent vote, Conservative MPs will choose between the two leadership candidates who will face a vote from the membership.
After Tuesday’s vote, one of the four surviving contestants—Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt, Liz Truss, and Kemi Badenoch—will be ousted.
With the other three candidates competing for second place, Mr. Sunak appears to have a good chance of making the final two.
Monday’s MP vote resulted in the elimination of senior backbencher Tom Tugendhat.
Before the Commons adjourns for the summer on Thursday, Conservative MPs hope to reduce the field to two contenders through a series of votes.
Following a summer of campaigning by the two remaining candidates, Tory party members will then choose the winner, with a decision made public on September 5.
Mr. Tugendhat, a backbench MP, was ousted after collecting 31 votes, one fewer than his total from last Thursday’s second round.
The remaining candidates were positioned in the same order as on Thursday, with former chancellor Mr. Sunak winning with 115 votes after receiving 14 more votes than the other candidates.
Foreign Secretary Ms Truss received seven more votes than Trade Minister Ms. Mordaunt, who lost one vote but maintained second place with 82 votes.
Former equalities minister Ms. Badenoch received 58 votes, nine more than in the previous round, to finish in fourth place.
The four candidates will be narrowed down to three on Tuesday, with the outcome anticipated around 15.00 BST.
The vote to choose the final two candidates is then slated for Wednesday.
After Monday’s voting, a source close to Ms. Badenoch’s campaign claimed the race for second place was “all to play for” and she had more momentum than her primary competitors.
According to the source, Ms. Mordaunt had “gone backwards” while Ms. Truss had “only added seven votes” and “hasn’t made a breakthrough.”
Although Ms. Mordaunt said she was “thrilled to be in second place once more,” she said her vote remained “steady.”
A source in Ms. Truss’s campaign said that she was “confident” of moving on to the next round.
MPs who opposed Rishi Sunak as PM should consider who was most likely to defeat him in the next two and had the ability to revive the economy and win elections. The finest option was Liz, they added.
Tuesday’s Sky News discussion was cancelled after Mr. Sunak and Ms. Truss declined to participate, and senior Tories were worried that voicing their differences in public could harm the party.
