Eight contenders vying to become the next Prime Minister became six today (Wednesday July 13) after a ballot vote.
Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt, Liz Truss, Nadhim Zahawi, Tom Tugendhat, Suella Braverman, Jeremy Hunt and Kemi Badenoch all secured 20 nominations on Tuesday evening (July 12) from MPs needed to make it onto the ballot.
But now only half a dozen are left, with Jeremy Hunt and Nadhim Zahawi being eliminated from the Tory leadership race after the first round of voting.
The candidates through to the next round of the Conservative leadership contest are Rishi Sunak with 88 votes, Penny Mordaunt with 67, Tom Tugendhat with 37, Liz Truss with 50, Kemi Badenoch with 40 and Suella Braverman with 32 votes.
Jeremy Hunt recieved 18 and Nadhim Zahawi 25.
The contest will whittle down the remaining candidates over the coming days until only two Tories remain. The final result to determine who will take over the top job is expected on 5 September.
Read more: Councillor suspended by Tories after retweeting claims mosques are 'hiding secret arsenals'
Shortly before Tuesday's deadline, former health secretary Sajid Javid and junior minister Rehman Chishti pulled out of the race after failing to gather enough support. Here's a rundown of the remaining six hopeful Tories grappling to replace Boris Johnson...
Rishi Sunak
Age: 42
Experience: Two years as Chancellor of the Exchequer until he resigned on July 5 in protest at Boris Johnson’s leadership.
What did he do before politics? Hedge fund manager.
Number of publicly-declared supporters as of 10am Wednesday: 48
Penny Mordaunt
Age: 49
Experience: Current Trade Minister, former Defence Secretary and International Development Secretary.
What did she do before politics? Was a magician’s assistant before a career in public relations.
Number of publicly-declared supporters as of 10am Wednesday: 29
Liz Truss
Age: 46
Experience: Current Foreign Secretary.
What did she do before politics? Was economist for Shell and Cable and Wireless before becoming deputy director for think tank Reform.
Number of publicly-declared supporters as of 10am Wednesday: 21
Tom Tugendhat
Age: 49
Experience: Chairs the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, backbench MP since 2015.
What did he do before politics? Served in the Army Intelligence Corps in Iraq and Afghanistan and as an adviser to the Chief of Defence Staff.
Number of publicly-declared supporters as of 10am Wednesday: 20
Suella Braverman
Age: 42
Experience: Current Attorney General.
What did she do before entering politics? She was a barrister specialising in public law and judicial review cases, including defending the Home Office in immigration cases.
Number of publicly-declared supporters as of 10am Wednesday: 12
Kemi Badenoch
Age: 42
Experience: Former minister in the Levelling Up department and former equalities minister until she resigned on July 6.
What did she do before politics? Trained as an engineer before becoming an associate director at private bank Coutts, then moved to a senior role with the Spectator magazine.
Number of publicly-declared supporters as of 10am Wednesday: 19
Read more of today's top stories here
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