Broadcasters breathe sigh of relief as Jeremy Hunt is knocked out of Tory race
We are one step closer to finding out who the next Prime Minister will be, following the first round of votes for the Tory leadership race.
Eight candidates were on the ballot paper and had to secure at least 30 votes from Conservative MPs to stay in the contest.
Jeremy Hunt was knocked out, securing just 18 votes, which will be welcomed by broadcasters afraid of mispronouncing his surname on national TV.
Only 25 MPs showed their support for Nadhim Zahawi, who sensationally turned on Boris Johnson less than 48 hours into his job as Chancellor.
That leaves Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, Tom Tugendhat, Kemi Badenoch, Penny Mordaunt, and Suella Braverman in the race.
Further rounds of votes among Tory MPs will whittle the shortlist down to two before the Conservative Party members elect the new leader via postal ballot.
Even before voting began, Mr Sunak was said to have wooed MPs at barbecues at his Yorkshire Dales mansion, while Ms Truss hosted ‘Fizz with Liz’ drinks parties.
Leadership hopeful Tom Tugendhat said the race should be a ‘battle of ideas’ rather than a ‘knife fight in a phone box’.
But the race to No 10 is already proving to be a vicious contest, with plenty of backstabbing and ‘dirty tricks’.
After all, former Tory MP Keith Simpson once said the Conservative Parliamentary Party was ‘the most sophisticated, but also the most duplicitous electorate in the world.’
The current race has shaped into a war between Boris Johnson loyalists trying to prevent Mr Sunak from winning.
Supporters of the outgoing prime minister are throwing their weight behind Foreign Secretary Ms Truss, while singling out the former chancellor for criticism.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries claimed Mr Sunak helped Jeremy Hunt make the ballot by using ‘dirty tricks’, and ‘dark arts’ – believing he’d be able to beat him in a final round of votes.
‘That behaviour is not happening. It’s a dirty story being run by anti-Rishi people,’ a supporter of Mr Sunak said.
Even if that was the case, that clearly didn’t work based on today’s results.
Also supporting Ms Truss is Jacob Rees-Mogg, who said: ‘It’s very interesting that somebody should start a campaign, according to reports, in December last year.’
When Mr Sunak announced his leadership bid, it emerged a readyforrishi.com domain name was registered late last year.
If you type it into a browser, it redirects to ready4rishi.com. This led to accusations the former chancellor had been sharpening his knives for some time.
Mr Sunak’s team said domains are bought all the time, adding that they had been transferred a number of them.
His campaigners also insisted that his sleekly produced campaign video was put together in 48 hours.
How many votes did each contender get?
Rishi Sunak – 88
Liz Truss – 50
Tom Tugendhat – 37
Kemi Badenoch – 40
Penny Mordaunt – 67
Jeremy Hunt – 18
Nadhim Zahawi – 25
Suella Braverman – 32
Downing Street has been forced to deny that it is running a ‘stop Sunak’ operation, with the PM’s press secretary insisting Mr Johnson is ‘staying neutral’.
Today, Mr Rees-Mogg argued that Ms Truss is ‘fiscally on the right side of the argument’, unlike Mr Sunak, describing his ‘endless tax rises’ as ‘economically damaging’.
As of this morning, it appeared Mr Sunak had the most public support, with some 45 MPs announcing they were backing him.
But all of that could change, as the contests sees MPs tactically voting and shifting allegiances to protect their interests.
While team Truss and team Sunak battle it out, Ms Mordaunt is the current favourite among party members, according to the latest YouGov poll.
The trade minister officially launched her campaign today by telling colleagues who had been fearful of losing their seats under Mr Johnson’s leadership that she is their ‘best shot’ at winning the next election.
‘I’m the candidate that Labour fear the most – and they’re right to,’ she told Conservatives at Westminster’s Cinnamon Club.
Ms Mordaunt declined to describe Mr Johnson as a good Prime Minister, instead thanking him for delivering Brexit.
She insisted she is ‘very different’ from her would-be predecessor but indicated she would not call an early general election to win her own mandate if she entered No 10.
The naval reservist and former defence secretary pledged to return to traditional Conservative values of ‘low tax, small state and personal responsibility’.
The race to No 10 - Who made it past the first round of votes?
Rishi Sunak
Age: 42
Ministerial experience: Chancellor of the Exchequer until July 5 when he quit in protest at the Prime Minister’s leadership.
What did he do before politics? Hedge fund manager.
What does he say on tax? He has promised to get the tax burden down once inflation is under control saying ‘it is a question of when, not if’, but warned rivals ‘it is not credible to promise lots more spending and lower taxes’.
What does he say on defence spending? He views the Nato target of 2% of GDP as a ‘floor and not a ceiling’ and notes it is set to rise to 2.5% ‘over time’ but refuses to set ‘arbitrary targets’.
What is his position on identity politics? He has criticised ‘trends to erase women via the use of clumsy, gender neutral language’.
How did he vote in the 2016 Brexit referendum? Leave
Constituency: Richmond (Yorks)
Number of publicly-declared supporters as of 10am Wednesday: 48
Penny Mordaunt
Age: 49
Ministerial experience: Currently Trade Minister, has had Cabinet jobs in the defence and international development briefs.
What did she do before politics? She was a magician’s assistant while in college before a career in public relations.
What does she say about tax? She has pledged a 50% cut in VAT on fuel. But she insists she will maintain control of the public finances.
What does she say on defence spending? She stands by the manifesto commitment to the Nato target but would also create a civil defence force to supplement the military.
Where does she stand on identity politics? She said: ‘It was Margaret Thatcher who said “Every prime minister needs a Willie”. A woman like me doesn’t have one.’
How did she vote in the 2016 Brexit referendum? Leave
Constituency: Portsmouth North
Number of publicly-declared supporters as of 10am Wednesday: 29
Liz Truss
Age: 46
Ministerial experience: Current Foreign Secretary.
What did she do before politics? Worked as an economist for Shell and Cable and Wireless and was then a deputy director for right-of-centre think tank Reform.
What does she say on tax? She has pledged to ‘start cutting taxes from day one’, reversing April’s rise in National Insurance and promising to keep ‘corporation tax competitive’.
How did she vote in the 2016 Brexit referendum? Remain
Constituency: South West Norfolk
Number of publicly-declared supporters as of 10am Wednesday: 21
Tom Tugendhat
Age: 49
Ministerial experience: Never held ministerial office but chairs the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee.
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.
What does he say about tax? He would cut 10p a litre off fuel duty and change tax incentives to encourage business investment.
What is his position on defence spending? He would increase it to 3% of GDP saying national security must come before ‘bean counters and spreadsheets’.
How did he vote in the 2016 Brexit referendum? Remain
Constituency: Tonbridge and Malling
Number of publicly-declared supporters as of 10am Wednesday: 20
Suella Braverman
Age: 42
Ministerial 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.
What does she say about tax? She would cut VAT on energy and fuel bills. Corporation tax would also be cut to attract and incentivise investment.
What does she say on the net zero target? Says the ‘all-consuming desire’ to achieve the target by 2050 should be suspended otherwise the economy ‘will end up with zero growth’.
Where does she stand on identity politics? Wants to get rid of ‘woke rubbish’ and return to ‘a country where describing a man and a woman in terms of biology does not mean that you’re going to lose your job’.
How did she vote in the 2016 Brexit referendum? Leave
Constituency: Fareham
Number of publicly-declared supporters as of 10am Wednesday: 12
Kemi Badenoch
Age: 42
Ministerial experience: Resigned as equalities minister and a minister in the Levelling Up department on July 6.
What did she do before politics? Worked in McDonald’s while at college, trained as an engineer, became an associate director at private bank Coutts and held a senior role with the Spectator magazine.
What does she say on tax? She is committed to reducing corporate and personal taxes but told rivals ‘I will not enter into a tax bidding war over, “my tax cuts are bigger than yours”.’
What does she say about the net zero target? Has described the current policy as ‘unilateral economic disarmament’ that is being pursued ‘without thought’ for industries in the poorer parts of the UK.
What’s her position on identity politics? A possible indication – the general neutral toilets at the venue for her campaign launch had paper ‘men’ or ‘ladies’ signs taped to the doors.
How did she vote in the 2016 Brexit referendum? Leave
Constituency: Saffron Walden
Number of publicly-declared supporters as of 10am Wednesday: 19
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