The race to become Conservative Party leader has been whittled down to four candidates.
Tom Tugendhat was eliminated from the battle to become the next prime minister after he received just 31 votes in tonight’s third ballot of Tory MPs.
Rishi Sunak came out on top with 115 votes, while Penny Mordaunt followed with 82.
Liz Truss wasn’t miles behind Ms Mordaunt with 71 votes, while Kemi Badenoch got 58.
Former soldier Mr Tugendhat will be relegated to the sidelines alongside the likes of Suella Braverman, Nadhim Zahawi and Jeremy Hunt who have also been knocked out of the process.
Following the vote, Mr Tugendhat tweeted: ‘Although it wasn’t to be today, I am immensely proud of the positive vision we put forward for our country.
‘Thank you to all those who supported me and believed in £ACleanStart. This is only the beginning!’
Just three candidates will remain in the contest after another vote at 3pm tomorrow.
Voting tonight had come after the remaining five hopefuls went head-to-head in two live television debates.
The candidates clashed over a variety of topics, including the cost of living crisis, climate change and the economy during Channel 4’s debate on Friday evening.
Each hopeful was also asked whether or not Boris Johnson was an ‘honest man’.
Mr Tugendhat, the only of the candidates to answer with ‘no’, was met with a round of applause from the studio audience.
The 49-year-old garnered attention online after he seemingly quoted Albus Dumbledore when asked ‘why should the public trust you?’
‘It’s easy to stand up to your enemies – it’s sometimes harder to stand up to your friends’, Tugendhat said, paraphrasing a line from the first Harry Potter book.
The word ‘Dumbledore’ was soon trending on Twitter as viewers shared their surprise at the mention of the Hogwarts headmaster.
Verbal blows were swung between the candidates last night, during a live debate on ITV.
It surrounded issues such as Liz Truss’s past as a Liberal Democrat, Tugendhat’s time in the army and Kemi Badenoch’s stance on trans rights.
Sunak, who topped both the first two ballots, was seen to have won the debate by ordinary voters polled by Opinium, but Badenoch – who came last in that poll – was declared the winner by Tory members polled by Conservative Home.
A third television debate was due to take place tomorrow, but Sky News confirmed this afternoon it had been cancelled.
Two of the three hopefuls leading in the MPs ballots – Sunak and Truss – had told to the broadcaster that they did not wish to take part.
Sky News said in a statement: ‘Conservative MPs are said to be concerned about the damage the debates are doing to the image of the Conservative Party, exposing disagreements and splits within the party.’
Responding, deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner claimed Tories were fighting like ‘rats in a sack’.
She said: ‘This Conservative “leadership” contest is so scarily embarrassing they’ve pulled out of the debate – so you can’t see them fighting like rats in a sack.’
Meanwhile, insider Tory sources branded the debates ‘blue on blue attacks.’
And Westminster WhatsApp groups were said to be ‘kicking off more than usual’ following news of tomorrow’s cancelled Sky News debate.
In messages seen by ITV News, one MP wrote: ‘The division, smears and personal attacks this weekend have been disgraceful.
‘Nothing will kill our party more than blue on blue.’
Sunak is currently seen as the front-runner to make the final two of the leadership battle, with Mordaunt likely to square off with either Badenoch or Truss to face the former Chancellor.
Both Truss and Badenoch are expected to to pick up votes from Attorney General Suella Braverman, who endorsed the former after being eliminated in the last round.
Despite having voted Remain in the 2016 referendum, the Foreign Secretary is backed by many Brexiteers and those on the right of the Tory party.
In previous votes, Mr Sunak topped the first and second ballot results.
His decision to quit, alongside former health secretary Sajid Javid, had led to the domino effect of resignations that would eventually lead to the demise of Boris Johnson.
The race to No 10 has since been branded a ‘vicious contest’ with plenty of backstabbing and ‘dirty tricks’.
Downing Street was previously forced to deny that it was running a ‘stop Sunak’ operation, with the prime minister’s press secretary insisting Boris Johnson was ‘staying neutral’.
The new leader of the Conservatives will be announced on September 5 and the winner is expected to become prime minister the following day.
The race to No 10 - Who remains in the running?
Rishi Sunak
Age: 42
Ministerial experience: Chancellor of the Exchequer until July 5 when he quit in protest at the Prime Minister’s leadership.
What did he do before politics? Hedge fund manager.
What does he say on tax? He has promised to get the tax burden down once inflation is under control saying ‘it is a question of when, not if’, but warned rivals ‘it is not credible to promise lots more spending and lower taxes’.
What does he say on defence spending? He views the Nato target of 2% of GDP as a ‘floor and not a ceiling’ and notes it is set to rise to 2.5% ‘over time’ but refuses to set ‘arbitrary targets’.
What is his position on identity politics? He has criticised ‘trends to erase women via the use of clumsy, gender neutral language’.
How did he vote in the 2016 Brexit referendum? Leave
Constituency: Richmond (Yorks)
Penny Mordaunt
Age: 49
Ministerial experience: Currently Trade Minister, has had Cabinet jobs in the defence and international development briefs.
What did she do before politics? She was a magician’s assistant while in college before a career in public relations.
What does she say about tax? She has pledged a 50% cut in VAT on fuel. But she insists she will maintain control of the public finances.
What does she say on defence spending? She stands by the manifesto commitment to the Nato target but would also create a civil defence force to supplement the military.
Where does she stand on identity politics? She said: ‘It was Margaret Thatcher who said “Every prime minister needs a Willie”. A woman like me doesn’t have one.’
How did she vote in the 2016 Brexit referendum? Leave
Constituency: Portsmouth North
Liz Truss
Age: 46
Ministerial experience: Current Foreign Secretary.
What did she do before politics? Worked as an economist for Shell and Cable and Wireless and was then a deputy director for right-of-centre think tank Reform.
What does she say on tax? She has pledged to ‘start cutting taxes from day one’, reversing April’s rise in National Insurance and promising to keep ‘corporation tax competitive’.
How did she vote in the 2016 Brexit referendum? Remain
Constituency: South West Norfolk
Kemi Badenoch
Age: 42
Ministerial experience: Resigned as equalities minister and a minister in the Levelling Up department on July 6.
What did she do before politics? Worked in McDonald’s while at college, trained as an engineer, became an associate director at private bank Coutts and held a senior role with the Spectator magazine.
What does she say on tax? She is committed to reducing corporate and personal taxes but told rivals ‘I will not enter into a tax bidding war over, “my tax cuts are bigger than yours”.’
What does she say about the net zero target? Has described the current policy as ‘unilateral economic disarmament’ that is being pursued ‘without thought’ for industries in the poorer parts of the UK.
What’s her position on identity politics? A possible indication – the general neutral toilets at the venue for her campaign launch had paper ‘men’ or ‘ladies’ signs taped to the doors.
How did she vote in the 2016 Brexit referendum? Leave
Constituency: Saffron Walden
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