By Ben Kerrigan-
Conservative MPs will vote again on Tuesday as they continue the process of choosing the two candidates for leader who will be presented to a vote of members.
Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt, Liz Truss, and Kemi Badenoch are all in the race for the top job to replace Boris Johnson, and will be eliminated when the result is announced later. Sunak remains the favourite to become prime minister, but that can change in the next round votes.
Senior backbencher Tom Tugendhat was knocked out after Monday’s vote of MPs, leaving the remaining four political candidates to fight for the most important votes of their political career so far.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will hold his last scheduled cabinet meeting on Tuesday ahead of Westminster’s summer recess.
Rushi Sunak is the front runner with 115 votes, while Mr Tugendhat received just 31 votes from Conservative MPs in the third ballot.
During the last round of votes, Penny Mordaunt received 82 votes to Liz Truss’s 71, while Kemi Badenoch was at the bottom of the race with 58 votes.
Sky News was forced to cancel the third and final televised debate, after frontrunners Mr Sunak and Ms Truss pulled out of the Tuesday evening event amid reports of fears that the previous two debates have inflicted “incredible” damage on the Conservative Party
Mr Tugendhat was eliminated after receiving 31 votes, down one from his performance in the second round last Thursday.
Other candidates placed in the same order as on Thursday, with Mr Sunak coming out on top having gained 14 votes for a total of 115.