Following last night’s elimination of Tom Tugendhat from the race for the Conservative leadership, the remaining four candidates continue to vie for MP support ahead of tonight’s further vote.
In this evening’s vote, MPs will whittle down the remaining four candidates to three.
The Tonbridge and Malling MP polled 31 votes, while former chancellor Rishi Sunak continued to top the poll with 115 votes.
Penny Mordaunt remains in second place, but with one fewer vote (82) than in the second ballot.
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Kemi Badenoch finished in fourth place with 58 votes but picked up more new voters (9) in the third ballot than Liz Truss who finished with 71, seven more than the previous round.
The key question is who Tugendhat’s 31 erstwhile supporters will switch their vote to in tonight’s vote.
While Tugendhat himself is now backing Mordaunt, it is not clear that his backers will all fall in line with this decision.
Former deputy prime minister Damian Green told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning that he has “not necessarily” decided against voting for a candidate who served in Boris Johnson’s top team.
Green, a member of the liberal-leaning “One Nation” wing of the party, explained: “What is important to me is that I want to see a Conservative government that respects our institutions, respects the rule of law, tries to spread wealth and opportunity throughout the country.
More to follow
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