Tory leadership election tracker | Financial Times

Conservative MPs are declaring who they want to succeed Liz Truss as their party’s leader and UK prime minister.

Under the leadership contest rules, an MP must receive 100 nominations from colleagues by Monday at 2pm to become a candidate.

If there are three candidates who secure the minimum 100 backers, they will be whittled down to two by MPs in a vote later in the day.

If only two candidates reach the threshold of 100 supporters, Conservative party members will vote online to determine the winner by next Friday. If only one candidate obtains 100 nominations, they will be declared party leader and prime minister on Monday.

The tracker below only counts MPs as supporters of an actual or potential candidate if they have publicly stated their position or confirmed it to the Financial Times.

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House of Commons leader Penny Mordaunt on Friday became the first MP to announce plans to stand for the Tory leadership.

Other candidates expected to launch their leadership bids include former chancellor Rishi Sunak and ex-prime minister Boris Johnson.

Sunak is the current favourite among bookmakers and on betting exchanges.

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The potential contenders for the Tory leadership

Rishi Sunak

The 42-year-old former chancellor reached the final round of last summer’s leadership race thanks to his slick communication skills and pro-Brexit credentials. He was defeated by Truss, who won 57 per cent of the vote after the Tory membership dismissed his warnings against her plans for unfunded tax cuts. His message of fiscal discipline may now receive a warmer welcome.

Penny Mordaunt

The leader of the Commons came close to seizing the leadership during the summer despite having had only a brief spell in the cabinet. Her pitch emphasised her pro-Brexit credentials and social liberalism, while playing on her experience in the Royal Navy. Despite her low profile, the 49-year-old came third in the ballot of Tory MPs.

Boris Johnson

The former prime minister has been the most effective election winner of his generation, twice becoming London mayor and securing an 80-strong Commons majority at the 2019 general election. Yet he was driven out of office in the summer by the resignation of 62 ministers — including Sunak — after a string of scandals. Despite this, Johnson remains popular with the party membership and could win the grassroots vote if he secured enough support to get on the final ballot.

Additional work by Arjun Neil Alim, Oliver Hawkins, Daria Mosolova, Martha Muir, Zehra Munir, and Kari-Ruth Pedersen