Rishi Sunak is the first No10 contender to reach 100 Tory MP backers, his team has confirmed, as desperate Boris Johnson and Penny Mordaunt trail behind.
The former Chancellor has become the first Conservative Party leadership candidate to hit the threshold with support from lawmakers to make it onto ballot paper.
Liz Truss is stepping down after a chaotic and scandal-ridden 44 days as Prime Minister.
The 42-year-old is the favourite to replace her, having come second in the Tory leadership contest in the summer.
There are now less than 63 hours left to make the ballot to be Britain's next Prime Minister.
Tobias Ellwood, the chair of the defence select committee, has tonight followed Matt Hancock, Tom Tugendhat, Sajid Javid and Alan Mak in announcing his support for Mr Sunak.
But deposed PM Mr Johnson is refusing to give up on a staggering return to power, months after quitting.
He has the support of cabinet ministers Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Alok Sharma and Simon Clark.
Johnson finally departed in July following intense pressure from party colleagues, with over 50 resignations within government from cabinet level down.
He resigned after a tenure in Downing Street dogged by a seemingly never-ending wave of scandals.
Tobias Ellwood, the Member of Parliament for Bournemouth East, tonight tweeted his support for Mr Sunak.
"The free mkt experiment is over - it’s been a low point in our Party’s great history," he posted.
"The reset begins. Time for centrist, stable, fiscally responsible Government offering credible domestic & international leadership. Honoured to be the 100th Tory MP to support #Ready4Rishi".
Mr Ellwood supported Mrs Mordaunt in the leadership election in the summer.
It comes as bungling Tories were warned that the disgraced ex-leader faces being booted out of No10 by Christmas if he makes a shock return as PM.
Mr Johnson is expected to fly back from his sun lounger in the Caribbean tomorrow to launch a staggering new bid for power, months after he was forced from office.
A friend of the axed PM told the Mirror today: “He’s Whatsapping MPs saying ‘I’m flying back, we’re going to do this, I’m up for it.’”
The friend said the ex-PM’s chances rested on what right-wingers like Suella Braverman decide to do.
They claimed: “He’s going to get to 100. The issue will be who the right falls behind. It feels like they are not going to get to 100. If not, a lot of the right-wing vote will end up going to Boris.”
But his comeback attempt threatens to rip apart the Tories as his supporters claim he can stop the party being obliterated at the next election, while his critics threaten to quit in protest.
