Conservative leadership race latest: Kemi Badenoch eliminated from Tory contest

Kemi Badenoch has been eliminated from the Tory leadership contest in the fourth round of votes.

In the fourth round of voting in the Tory leadership contest, Ms Badenoch had 59 votes, Penny Mordaunt had 92 votes, Rishi Sunak had 118 votes and Liz Truss had 86 votes.

On Monday, Tom Tugendhat dropped out of the race with the lowest number of votes.

The ballot will be repeated on Wednesday, leaving only two candidates.

The final two will then go before the party’s membership in a vote before the new prime minister is announced on September 5, in time for Parliament returning from recess.

David Davis: Leadership race ‘the dirtiest campaign I’ve ever seen'

20:33 , Matt Watts

Former Cabinet minister David Davis has accused Tory leadership candidate Rishi Sunak of “reallocating” some votes he picked up from former rival Tom Tugendhat to Liz Truss, because he believes he can beat the Foreign Secretary in the run-off.

Mr Davis told Andrew Marr on LBC Radio: “Rishi just reallocated some. He’s got his four or five chief whips that he has in a boiler room somewhere, reallocated them (to Ms Truss) … He wants to fight Liz, because she’s the person who will lose the debate with him”.

Mr Davis, who supports Penny Mordaunt, added: “Presumably what Rishi thinks is that he can take apart Liz’s economic patch…

“I’m the biggest tax cutter in the Tory party and I think she’s gone a bit far”.

He also called the leadership race “the dirtiest campaign I’ve ever seen”.

Would-be Prime Ministers face policy questions

18:54 , Robert Dex

Jake Berry said Tory leadership candidates at the NRG and Onward hustings faced “really detailed policy questions”.

He told reporters: “The sort of questions that came up were how as a Government do we take credit for Government money that is spent in areas where you have a hostile Labour council, and potentially a hostile Labour mayor.”

Penny Mordaunt was asked about the Government’s commitment to the Integrated Rail Plan and Northern Powerhouse Rail, he added, and there were quite a lot of questions about “new devolution deals”.

Mr Berry said many colleagues attended who were not from the north of England, and “we had some discussion of the squeezed Midlands”, as well as how to demonstrate levelling up as a policy for the whole UK.

He estimated around 40 people attended.

Northern MPs hear from leadership contenders

18:53 , Robert Dex

The chairman of the Northern Research Group of Tory MPs said all three remaining candidates performed “exceptionally well” in Tuesday afternoon’s hustings.

Jake Berry said both Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss were playing on “home turf”, noting the Foreign Secretary is a “Yorkshire lass”, while Penny Mordaunt has some “really interesting ideas about how we reform the machinery of government to focus on delivery”.

He added Ms Truss was “name-checking individual mills” in colleagues’ constituencies, “if you came from Yorkshire”.

Mordaunt loses lead among Tory members

17:30 , Robert Dex

Penny Mordaunt’s lead among Conservative Party members has been lost according to a YouGov poll.

The data put Mordaunt, who was the members favourite last week, on 42% to Liz Truss’s 48%.

Trio of Tory contenders make another pitch for MP’s votes

17:26 , Robert Dex

The battle for votes goes on as Tory leadership candidates are taking part in more behind-closed-doors hustings with the Northern Research Group of Conservative MPs and Onward think tank.

Rishi Sunak took the floor first, followed by Penny Mordaunt, who said she was feeling “good” as she entered the room.

Liz Truss will complete the trio of remaining candidates, following Kemi Badenoch’s elimination from the race on Tuesday afternoon.

First Badenoch supporter declares for Liz Truss

16:57 , Robert Dex

Another Badenoch supporter, Leo Docherty MP, said he would be voting for Liz Truss who he said had a “credible plan for our great country”.

First Badenoch supporter switches to Sunak

16:42 , Robert Dex

Tory MP Sir Desmond Swayne became the first of Kemi Badenoch’s supporters to back Rishi Sunak after she was voted out.

He said supporting the former chancellor was “the right way forward for our country”.

Truss campaign calls for Badenoch supporters to back the Foreign Secretary

16:18 , Robert Dex

The campaign to elect Liz Truss as Tory leader urged Kemi Badenoch’s supporters to unite behind the Foreign Secretary.

“Kemi Badenoch has run a fantastic campaign and contributed enormously to the battle of ideas throughout this contest,” a campaign spokeswoman said.

“Now is the time for the party to unite behind a candidate who will govern in a Conservative way and who has shown she can deliver time and again.

“Liz has a bold new economic agenda that will immediately tackle the cost of living crisis, boost economic growth and continue leading the global fight for freedom in Ukraine.”

Bookmaker makes Liz Truss favourite to win

16:02 , Robert Dex

One bookmaker has now made Liz Truss the favourite to win the contest.

Ladbrokes said the Foreign Secretary had moved ahead of Rishi Sunak in the betting.

Badenoch thanks supporters

15:59 , Robert Dex

Kemi Badenoch said she was “grateful” to the Tory MPs and party members who had backed her campaign.

She was eliminated from the contest on Tuesday, after polling the lowest number of votes in the latest ballot of MPs.

“I’m grateful to my colleagues and the party members who have supported me.

“This campaign began less than two weeks ago. What we’ve achieved demonstrates the level of support for our vision of change for our country and for the Conservative Party.

“Thank you,” she tweeted.

International Trade Secretary now backs Truss

15:36 , Josh Salisbury

Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the International Trade Secretary, has publicly voiced her support for Liz Truss.

Ms Trevelyan had previously backed Tom Tugendhat, but said Tuesday after the results of the afternoon’s ballot: “Pleased to support #LizForleader and encourage colleagues to vote her into final two and members.”

Liz Truss ‘has the momentum’ after this vote, claims backer

15:32 , Josh Salisbury

Iain Duncan Smith, a former Conservative Party leader and a backer of Liz Truss, has said that the results show that the Foreign Secretary has “momentum”.

Speaking on BBC News, he said: “I think Liz has the momentum. You saw that today, lots of people said, ‘Oh no, none from Tugendhat’s campaign will come to you’, well I’m afraid they were wrong.

“She is beginning to put together a very wide range of people from across the party, both those for Brexit and against Brexit, left and right”.

Mordaunt’s campaign manager ‘incredibly optimistic’ about her chances

15:26 , Josh Salisbury

Penny Mordaunt’s campaign manager, Andrea Leadsom, said she was “incredibly optimistic” about tomorrow’s vote.

Speaking on Sky News, Ms Leadsom said: “Penny has gained support today and that’s brilliant because it’s from all parts of the party.

“We are incredibly optmistic about tomorrow. But ultimately this is a decision of all our MP colleagues, Penny is fighting a positive, clean campaign, it’s a campaign that will reunite the party and win the next general election”.

Mordaunt praises Badenoch amid scramble for crucial votes

15:16 , Josh Salisbury

Penny Mordaunt, who remains in second place with 92 votes after the latest ballot of Tory MPs, said she was "so nearly across the finish line".

In a statement, the Tory leadership hopeful said: "This afternoon colleagues once again put their trust in me and I cannot thank them enough. We are so nearly across the finish line. I am raring to go and excited to put my case to members across the country and win.

She also heaped praise on eliminated rival Kemi Badenoch, whose votes will be crucial in deciding which candidates make the final two.

"I want to pay tribute to my friend Kemi Badenoch who electrified the leadership contest with her fresh thinking and bold policies,” she said.

“She and I both know that the old way of government isn't working as it should. Voters want change and we owe it to them to offer a bold new vision for this country. Kemi's passion for this showed and I'm glad she put herself forward to be heard."

Badenoch’s votes up for grabs as Truss and Mordaunt fight for second place

15:14 , Josh Salisbury

The elimination of Kemi Badenoch could prove an advantage for Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, as the votes of 59 MPs who backed her will now be up for grabs.

While Ms Truss is currently in third place with 86 votes, she saw an increase of fifteen votes on Monday’s ballot - a possible sign of support on the right of the party shifting towards her.

A question now remains on how Ms Badenoch’s support will split in tomorrow’s vote. Many MPs who backed Ms Badenoch for the leadership have previously been thought to be unlikely to switch support to Ms Mordaunt, as she had been criticised by the Badenoch campaign for her stance on social issues.

However, this will only be known when the results of the next ballot are announced at 4pm on Wednesday.

Both Ms Truss and Ms Mordaunt now face another battle in the next 24 hours to shore up their position to try and make the final ballot of two candidates, with Mr Sunak maintaining a comfortable lead.

Breaking: Badenoch knocked out of race as Mordaunt retains second place

15:06 , Josh Salisbury

Kemi Badenoch has been knocked out of the Conservative Party race with 59 votes.

Rishi Sunak has only received an extra three votes, to stay in first place on 118 votes, but has failed to reach the 120 benchmark in this round which would have all but guarenteed his place on the final ballot.

Penny Mordaunt has retained her second place spot in the race with 92 votes, up ten votes from the previous round.

Liz Truss is now in last place, with 86 votes, up from the 71 votes she recieved on Monday - an extra fifteen votes.

Another ballot will be held on Wednesday between 1pm and 3pm, with a result announced at 4pm.

1922 committee take heat out of leadership contest

14:39 , Josh Salisbury

The 1922 Committee has attempted to take at least some of the heat of the leadership contest - as there are no fewer than nine fans in the room where the results will be announced in just under half an hour.

Polls close in the latest round of voting

14:14 , Josh Salisbury

Voting in the latest round of the Tory leadership contest have now closed.

Sir Peter Bottomley, the Father of the House, was the last to vote.

The result is expected at 3pm, and the candidate with the fewest votes will be eliminated from the contest.

Here is a reminder of where we stand after yesterday’s vote:

Rishi Sunak - 115

Penny Mordaunt - 82

Liz Truss - 71

Kemi Badenoch - 58

BBC to host leadership debate between final two candidates

14:04 , Josh Salisbury

The BBC has said it will host a TV debate between the final two candidates in the Tory leadeship race on Monday.

Contestants in the race had been due to take part in a Sky News debate this evening, but it was cancelled after candidates pulled out.

There have already been two televised debates between candidates broadcast on Channel 4 and ITV.

The corporation said the debate, Our Next Prime Minister, would take place in front of an audience of between 80 to 100 people in Stoke-on-Trent and would air at 9pm Monday.

It will be presented by Sophie Raworth.

MP who failed in bid to become leader backs Sunak

13:49 , Josh Salisbury

Rehman Chishti, the MP who put himself forward for the leadership for the party but failed to recieve any nominations, has now backed Rishi Sunak.

Mr Chishti had backed Tom Tugendhat for the top job, but has now tipped Mr Sunak to become leader.

Tugendhat tight-lipped on who he backed

13:40 , Josh Salisbury

Journalists have been attempting to ask current and former leadership candidates questions as voting continues until 2pm.

Asked if she was feeling optimistic, Penny Mordaunt said: “We will see. We won’t have long to wait. “

Tom Tugendhat, who was eliminated on Monday, turned up to vote with a number of his supporters. Their ballots could now have a major impact on the contest.

Mr Tugendhat declined to say who he had backed.

Gove says Government ‘not functioning’ and can’t provide basic services

13:25 , Barney Davis

Michael Gove tells Policy Exchange the government is now “simply not functioning” when it comes to providing basic ‘essential’ services such as giving people passports.

The current average waiting time for an adult passport renewal is 26 days.

It came after Cabinet Office minister Jacob Rees-Mogg appeared to blame civil servants working from home for delays in public services for items such as driving licences and passports, saying technology is “unquestionably the answer” to reduce delays.

Mr Rees-Mogg said: “What is going on is that too many people are still working from home. We need to get people back in the office doing their jobs. But we can also do more with fewer people.”

YouGov snap poll shows Rishi Sunak losing amongst Tory members

13:13 , Barney Davis

Rishi Sunak still has a lot of work to do to ensure he becomes the next Prime Minister, according to a YouGov poll of Tory members.

The former Chancellor is currently set to lose all head-to-heads to the other female contender still in the race to become the next Conservative leader.

The poll has Kemi Badenoch beating all three of her rivals after the two televised debates.

Penny Mordaunt has lost ground to fall narrowly behind Liz Truss and Kemi Badenoch.

UK Commisioner warned Priti Patel of Rwanda recruiting refugees as soldiers before deportation policy

12:38 , Barney Davis

British officials repeatedly told the government not to strike a deal with Rwanda over asylum seekers, court documents have revealed.

They show that on 10 February 2021, the UK High Commissioner to Rwanda indicated that the country “ should not be pursued as an option for the planned migration policy”.

The reasons given included that it “has been accused of recruiting refugees to conduct armed operations in neighbouring countries”, has a “poor human rights record regardless of the conventions it has signed up to” and has been criticised by the UK for extrajudicial killings, deaths in custody, enforced disappearances, torture and crackdowns on anyone critical of the regime.

Boris Johnson given gift of Churchill books at Cabinet

11:56 , Josh Salisbury

Boris Johnson received first edition copies of Winston Churchill's books on the Second World War as a gift from Cabinet colleagues at his last meeting as PM on Tuesday.

The books by Churchill, a hero of Mr Johnson, were presented to the Prime Minister by his entire Cabinet, a Downing Street spokesman said.

"At the conclusion of Cabinet, the Prime Minister was presented with gifts to thank him for his service to the country, including first editions of Winston Churchill's books on the Second World War," the spokesman told reporters.

Mordaunt vows to continue Boris Johnson’s ‘levelling up’ vision

11:45 , Josh Salisbury

Penny Mordaunt, who is seeking to regain momentum in the race to become the next PM has backed the levelling-up agenda pioneered by Boris Johnson.

Other would-be successors to Mr Johnson are reported to be cooler on the high-investment policy, with Rishi Sunak backer and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps forced to insist the former chancellor is a "huge fan of levelling up".

Ms Mordaunt claims to be the candidate Labour fears most and the one best placed to succeed in a general election.

She said: "My economic plan will boost competition and growth up and down the country, creating the jobs of the future and enabling the country to live well.

“We were elected on a manifesto to deliver levelling up, and I remain committed to delivering on the promises we made to the country."

Tugendhat backer switches support to Rishi Sunak

11:37 , Josh Salisbury

Mark Pawsey, backbench MP for Rugby & Bulkington, has announced he will now be supporting Rishi Sunak in today’s ballot after previously backing Tom Tugendhat.

Mr Tugendhat was eliminated from the contest on Monday, meaning the votes of the 31 MPs who had backed him are now up for grabs.

Pictured: Boris Johnson’s final Cabinet as PM

11:07 , Josh Salisbury

Boris Johnson has led his final Cabinet as Prime Minister on Tuesday morning, with cameras allowed inside for part of the meeting.

Minister says Ellwood ‘could have voted like anyone else'

10:51 , Josh Salisbury

Nadine Dorries, the Culture Secretary, has rubbished suggestions Tobias Ellwood was stripped of the whip because it removes his vote for Penny Mordaunt in Tuesday’s contest for the party leadership.

She said on Twitter: “This is wholly untrue and frankly utterly ridiculous.

“Every single MP of every party is under no illusion regarding the price to be paid in not voting during a Gov confidence motion. It's a very clearly defined and historic red line.

“Tobias could have voted like everyone else."

When asked, government whips have said that other MPs who did not vote in Monday’s confidence vote were not losing the whip because they were “appropriately paired”.

Ellwood unable to vote in Tory leadership after losing whip

10:36 , Josh Salisbury

Tobias Ellwood, the backbench MP who was stripped of the Conservative whip for failing to back the Government in Monday’s confidence vote, will no longer be able to vote in the leadership contest.

Mr Ellwood, chair of the defence select committee, had been backing Penny Mordaunt for the top job.

Government whips said they removed the parliamentary whip because Mr Ellwood abstained in the Government’s confidence vote.

However, Mr Ellwood, a Boris Johnson critic, said he was in Moldova, and unable to return for the vote because of disruption.

He said: “Following my meeting yesterday with the president of Moldova I was unable to secure return travel due to unprecedented disruption both here and in the UK.

"I am very sorry to lose the whip but will now continue my meetings in Ukraine promoting the Prime Minister's efforts here and specifically seeking to secure the reopening of Odesa port - so vital grain exports can recommence."

Cabinet bangs table as Boris Johnson addresses it for final time

10:23 , Josh Salisbury

Boris Johnson’s opening address to his final Cabinet meeting was greeted with the traditional banging of the table by his ministers.

The Cabinet listened as Mr Johnson defended his record on tackling Covid and steering the economy through the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis.

With Foreign Secretary Liz Truss - one of the contenders to replace him - sat opposite across the Cabinet table, Mr Johnson said: “It’s because of the fundamental strengths of the economy that we have been able to help people with the cost of living right now, £1,200 as you know is going to help the eight million most vulnerable households.

“We will continue to give help to households throughout this difficult time, throughout the summer, the autumn.

“We will continue to make sure we are looking at ways of abating the problems for those who need it most.”

MP stripped of whip after failing to back government in confidence vote

09:57 , Josh Salisbury

MP Tobias Ellwood has been stripped of the Conservative Party whip after failing to back the Government in a no confidence motion last night.

Mr Ellwood, a critic of Boris Johnson’s, was in Moldova for the vote, but was reportedly warned of conquences if he did not back the government in the vote, which it had moved.

Mr Ellwood, the chairman of the defence select committee, abstained in the vote.

Truss hits back after Sunak’s ‘socialist’ criticism

09:37 , Josh Salisbury

Liz Truss has hit back at former Chancellor Rishi Sunak after his “socialist” jibe at her during the televised Tory leadership debate.

On Sunday, Mr Sunak accused the Foreign Secretary of practising socialism by promising “something for nothing” tax cuts.

Asked if she was a socialist by the Times newspaper, Ms Truss said: “No, I’m quite surprised you had to ask that.

“I’m a low-tax Conservative, I believe the way we get to greater economic growth is through lower taxes, less regulation, investing in skills and attracting business to this country. You can’t tax your way to growth.”

Truss campaign grilled on why she has not given interviews

09:12 , Josh Salisbury

A backer of Liz Truss has been grilled on why she has not given a single broadcast interview during the campaign.

James Heappey, the Armed Forces minister, appeared on Sky News to promote Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, who is currently in third place in the ballot among Tory MPs.

Asked by Sky’s Kay Burley why Ms Truss hadn’t given an interview, Mr Heappey said: “I think you would have to ask her that, but on her behalf I would reflect that what she has been doing is thinking hard about what she would do if she were in No10 in five or six weeks time.”

Tugendhat backer does not rule out switching support to Sunak or Truss

09:04 , Josh Salisbury

Damian Green, a former deputy prime minister, said he has “not necessarily" ruled out transferring his vote from Tom Tugendhat to either Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss.

Mr Tugendhat was eliminated in the third round of voting yesterday but now the remaining four candidates are battling for the support of his 31 backers among MPs.

Mr Green told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “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.

Asked about a suggestion that Mr Tugendhat's supporters would vote as a "pack", he said: “To an extent, we all know what we believe in. I’m meeting people individually but others I know are meeting people in groups."

Truss pledges to raise defence spending to 3% of GDP

08:51 , Josh Salisbury

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has pledged to get defence spending up to 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) - a measure of the size of the economy - by the end of the decade if she becomes prime minister.

Under current plans, spending is set to reach around 2.5% by 2030.

Ms Truss said: “We live in an increasingly dangerous world where the threat level is higher than a decade ago, and we need a stronger deterrent to face down those threats and ensure Britain leads on the global stage.

“Ultimately that requires more resources. My number one priority is keeping this country safe and people can trust me to do that.

“Britain and the free world face a defining moment. We need a prime minister capable of leading internationally, who can also drive the economic growth we need here at home. I am the candidate best placed to do that.”

She had previously told her campaign launch that she would like to see defence spending rise to 3% by the end of the decade.

Miliband accuses candidates of ‘shamefully’ running away from green pledges

08:36 , Josh Salisbury

Ed Miliband, the former Labour leader and current shadow climate change secretary, has accused Tory leadership candidates of “running away” from green pledges.

Speaking on Sky News, where candidates had been due to have a debate on Tuesday evening before pulling out, Mr Miliband said: “Look at the Tory leadership election, Kay, and I’m sorry they’re not going to be debating with you tonight, they’re running scared of Kay Burley.

“What you’ve seen, you’ve got extreme heatwave, we know the climate challenge, we had COP26 last year, and what are they doing?

They’re not running towards net-zero, they’re running away from it. What an unserious party that is running away from a climate commitment ... It’s shameful, frankly.”

While all of the remaining candidates have endorsed net-zero, the target to decarbonise by 2050, with the exception of Kemi Badenoch, Mr Miliband criticised them for not enthusiastically embracing it.

Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, has also proposed a moratorium on the green energy levy, which costs households around £150 a year.

Public pay cannot rise with inflation, says Shapps

08:14 , Josh Salisbury

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps argued public sector pay cannot rise with inflation because it could erode savings and other workers' incomes.

Asked about suggestions pay rises for public sector workers could be capped at around 5%, well below inflation, he told LBC radio: "One thing we don't want to do is allow inflation to run out of control. When that happens you get into a vicious circle where it erodes people's incomes, it erodes people's savings.

"This is a spike going through the system caused by Putin's war in Ukraine and the big upset that's had to, for example, fuel supplies.

"It's very important that we don't chase that inflation, otherwise we'll be permanently poorer, and that's why the plan which gets us back on track as quickly as possible is important - and pay rises will need to reflect that."

Grant Shapps insists Boris Johnson has not checked out as PM

07:38 , Josh Salisbury

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps insisted Boris Johnson has not checked out early from No 10 as the Prime Minister is criticised for not playing a direct enough role in combating the heatwave.

He told Sky News: "It's literally not true, in fact exactly the opposite is the truth."

Shown the Prime Minister's ride in a Typhoon fighter jet, Mr Shapps tried to defend the flight.

"In the end he has responsibility for Britain's security," Mr Shapps said.

"There is a war going on in Europe. Why on earth would he not go and meet with the RAF"

Real wages drops fastest on record - new figures

07:35 , Josh Salisbury

The squeeze on people’s pay packets was revealed on Tuesday as official figures showed real wages are dropping faster than at any time since records began.

Although regular pay excluding bonuses grew by 4.3 per cent between March and May 2022, that is less than half the rate of inflation in May of 9.1 per cent.

With the Bank of England forecasting that inflation could rise to 11 per cent in the autumn, workers face the prospect of their salaries being further eroded by spiralling prices.

The latest figures from the ONS comes hours before the Government is due to announce its pay offer for many public sector workers.

Read our full story here.

Government to announce public sector pay offers amid high inflation

07:24 , Josh Salisbury

The Government will announce its pay offer for many public sector workers later Tuesday, with unions warning against offers well below the rate of inflation.

There has been speculation that the offers will be around 5%, which unions point out is less than half the current level of RPI inflation.

NHS workers have been waiting months for a pay rise which was due in April.

Downing Street provided a list of the professions for which public sector pay awards will be reported on Tuesday.

They are: school teachers, health workers on the Agenda for Change contract (including nurses), doctors and dentists, police officers, the armed forces, prison officers, NHS very senior managers, the judiciary, senior civil servants, senior military, and police and crime commissioners.

Recap: The votes all Tory leadership candidates received ahead of Tuesday’s vote

07:16 , Josh Salisbury

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of all the latest in UK politics including the Tory leadership race.

As a recap, here’s how things stand with the Tory leadership contest as MPs head into another ballot later Tuesday.

On Monday, candidates received the following votes:

Rishi Sunak - 115 votes

Penny Mordaunt - 82 votes

Liz Truss - 71 votes

Kemi Badenoch - 58 votes