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Conservative MPs to begin voting in leadership race Conservative leader rivals battle to secure MPs' votes
(about 7 hours later)
Tory MPs are to cast their first votes in the contest to replace Boris Johnson as party leader - and prime minister. Tory leadership hopefuls are battling to secure the support of their colleagues, ahead of the first MPs' vote in the contest for No 10 later.
After nominations closed, the eight hopefuls took part in a hustings event in Parliament as part of efforts to secure support from their colleagues. The eight candidates who have made it onto the ballot paper will have to secure at least 30 votes to stay in the race to become prime minister.
They have to secure 30 votes in the first round to stay in the race. It is the first of a series of secret ballots over the next few days to whittle the field down to a final two.
The candidates for leader are: Kemi Badenoch, Suella Braverman, Jeremy Hunt, Penny Mordaunt, Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, Tom Tugendhat and Nadhim Zahawi. Voting will start at 13:30, with a result expected at 17:00 BST.
Voting will start at 13:30 with a result expected at 17:00 BST. Kemi Badenoch, Suella Braverman, Jeremy Hunt, Penny Mordaunt, Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, Tom Tugendhat and Nadhim Zahawi have all secured the required 20 nominations from Tory MPs to make it onto the ballot later.
Further votes will take place over the next few days in order to whittle the number of candidates down to two. Ex-Health Secretary Sajid Javid and junior minister Rehman Chishti dropped out, after failing to pick up enough support.
About 160,000 members of the Conservative Party will then choose between these final two, with the winner due to be announced on 5 September. The 30 vote threshold - which has been introduced to quickly narrow the field - could see a number of further candidates knocked out.
Ex-Health Secretary Sajid Javid and junior minister Rehman Chishti failed to secure enough nominations - the support of at least 20 Tory MPs - and withdrew from the contest on Monday.
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Another husting event is expected to take place on Wednesday morning. As campaigning continues, Trade Minister Ms Mordaunt - who currently has the second highest number of Tory MPs backing her - will formally launch her campaign on Wednesday morning.
Trade minister Ms Mordaunt - who currently has the second highest number of Tory MPs backing her - will also formally launch her campaign on Wednesday morning. Candidates will also appear at two further hustings events, as the race to secure endorsements heats up.
Mr Sunak - whose resignation as chancellor last week helped trigger the toppling of Boris Johnson - has the strongest backing so far, securing support from cabinet ministers Dominic Raab and Grant Shapps among others. It comes as:
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Mr Sunak said his "number one economic priority is tackling inflation" and defended his refusal to promise tax cuts like some of his rivals by claiming that former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher would have backed his approach to get inflation down before cutting taxes. Former chancellor Mr Sunak, who has the strongest backing among Tory MPs so far, secured support from cabinet ministers Dominic Raab and Grant Shapps
On Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Ms Truss secured support from two Johnson loyalists - minister Jacob Rees-Mogg and Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries. Foreign Secretary Ms Truss bagged endorsements from cabinet ministers and Johnson loyalists Jacob Rees-Mogg and Nadine Dorries
WATCH: Top eight Tory leadership candidates announced Mr Hunt's campaign rejected an accusation from Ms Dorries that Mr Sunak's team lent nominations, to make sure he got onto the ballot paper
WATCH: Top eight Tory leadership candidates announced Former foreign secretary Mr Hunt, who has not had a launch event, said he was "quietly confident" he would make it through the first round of voting
At midday, before voting starts, Prime Minister Boris Johnson will head to Parliament for his first Prime Minister's Questions since he announced his resignation. The campaign so far has laid bare Tory divisions over taxation, with a number of candidates attacking the rise in taxes under Mr Sunak's chancellorship.
Mr Johnson was forced into the announcement after a mass ministerial walkout, triggered by his handling of the Chris Pincher case. All the contenders are pledging to bring in immediate tax cuts if they win power, apart from Mr Sunak who says they should wait until inflation goes down.
Asked who he would support in the race to replace him, Mr Johnson said he "wouldn't want to damage anyone's chances with my support." Among those promising to reduce taxes, there are divisions over which taxes should be cut, and how quickly.
In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Mr Sunak said tackling inflation is his "number one economic priority", and claimed former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, an icon on the right of the party, would have backed his approach.
Scramble for votes heats up
The competition for votes is feverish.
One MP, who had supported former candidate Mr Shapps, showed me their phone - and the instant electronic attention they were paid by loads of other candidates and their teams.
Missed calls, WhatsApps, you name it, instantaneous wooing. And it's only just beginning.
Plenty ponder that the former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, and Penny Mordaunt are perhaps the most likely to make the final three.
But no-one can know yet.
Read more from Chris
At midday, before voting starts, Boris Johnson will take part in his first Prime Minister's Questions since the cabinet mutiny last week that forced his resignation and triggered the contest to replace him in No 10.
He has declined to endorse any of the candidates vying to succeed him, saying he "wouldn't want to damage anyone's chances".
Meanwhile, Labour has said the candidates' pledging tax cuts would create a £24bn budget deficit and see public sector debt reach 84% of GDP by 2026-27.Meanwhile, Labour has said the candidates' pledging tax cuts would create a £24bn budget deficit and see public sector debt reach 84% of GDP by 2026-27.
It also accused them of abandoning the government's own fiscal charter, which commits it both to balancing the current budget and having public sector net debt as a percentage of GDP falling in three years' time.It also accused them of abandoning the government's own fiscal charter, which commits it both to balancing the current budget and having public sector net debt as a percentage of GDP falling in three years' time.
In a speech at a Resolution Foundation think tank event on Wednesday, Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves will pledge that a Labour government would only borrow to invest and will also commit it to cutting the UK's public debt. In a speech later, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves will pledge that a Labour government would only borrow to invest and will also commit it to cutting the UK's public debt.
Tory MPs are aiming to whittle down the candidates to a final two before Parliament's summer break begins at the end of next week.
About 160,000 members of the Conservative Party will then choose between these final two, with the winner due to be announced on 5 September.