Tom Tugendhat has been eliminated from the Tory leadership race after finishing last in the third round of voting. He received 31 votes with Rishi Sunak remaining in pole position.
The former Chancellor received 115 votes, Penny Mordaunt 82, Liz Truss 71 and Kemi Badenoch 58. Mr Tugendhat had fewer votes than his remaining rivals in the last ballot on Thursday and was thought to be in the most jeopardy this time round.
A series of votes among Tory MPs this week will narrow the field down to a final two, who will then face a summer of campaigning for the support of party members in a final vote. The new leader will be announced on September 5 and is expected to become prime minister the following day.
Meanwhile the Tory leadership debate on Sky News planned for Tuesday night was cancelled after Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss indicated they did not want to take part, the broadcaster said. The leadership contenders have already taken part in debates on Channel 4 and ITV which have seen the would-be prime ministers taking primetime pot shots at each other.
