Sunak in front as six fight to be PM
CHANCELLOR Nadhim Zahawi and former Cabinet minister Jeremy Hunt have been eliminated from the race to succeed Boris Johnson after the first round of voting by Tory MPs.
The senior Conservatives failed to get the 30 votes required to get to the next stage of the Tory leadership contest yesterday afternoon.
The frontrunners, former chancellor Rishi Sunak, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and trade minister Penny Mordaunt, coasted through in their bid to be the next prime minister. Mr Sunak was well ahead of the pack with 88 votes, but Ms Mordaunt increased her total significantly to move into second place, with 67 votes. Ms Truss was third, with 50.
Senior backbencher Tom Tugendhat, Attorney General Suella Braverman, and former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch also progressed to the final six candidates.
Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the Conservative 1922 committee overseeing the contest, read out the results in a crowded Committee Room 14 in the House of Commons at 5pm.
Earlier, Downing Street denied running an anti-Rishi Sunak smear campaign as Boris Johnson’s allies singled out the former chancellor for criticism.
The caretaker Prime Minister’s press secretary insisted that Mr Johnson is “staying neutral” despite his remaining loyalists
throwing their support behind Liz Truss.
Mr Sunak, who currently commands the most public declaration of support from Tory MPs, faced claims from the Foreign Secretary’s supporters of implementing “economically damaging” policies.
They have also attacked his campaign with claims it has engaged in “dirty tricks” to manipulate the Tory leadership race that will select the next prime minister.
Asked if No 10 is involved in a “stop Sunak” operation as the first round of voting loomed on Wednesday, Mr Johnson’s press secretary said: “No.”
She declined to say whether Downing Street remains supportive of the former chancellor, whose resignation helped end Mr Johnson’s grip on No 10.
The press secretary said she did not know whether Mr Johnson discussed backing Ms Truss with Nadine Dorries and Jacob ReesMogg before they made their public declaration in Downing Street.
“He’s staying neutral in this contest,” the spokeswoman said.
Meanwhile, trade minister Penny Mordaunt officially launched her campaign by telling colleagues who had been fearful of losing their seats under Mr Johnson’s leadership that she is their “best shot” at winning the next election.
“I’m the candidate that Labour fear the most - and they’re right to,” she told Conservatives at Westminster’s Cinnamon Club.
Seen as one of the frontrunners in the race, Ms Mordaunt declined to describe Mr Johnson as a good Prime Minister, instead thanking him for delivering Brexit.
Ms Mordaunt insisted she is “very different” from her would-be predecessor but indicated she would not call an early general election to win her own mandate if she entered No 10.
The naval reservist and former defence secretary pledged to return to traditional Conservative values of “low tax, small state and personal responsibility”.
The final two candidates chosen by Tory MPs will spend the summer battling it out to win the support of Conservative members, with their choice of the next prime minister being unveiled on September 5.