Rishi Sunak has retained his place as the frontrunner to become the next prime minister and Conservative Party leader.
He took 115 votes in yesterday’s vote among Tory MPs, just five short of the 120 that would guarantee him a place in the final two.
Penny Mordaunt also retained second place with 82 votes, despite losing momentum, while Liz Truss received the backing of 71 MPs. Kemi Badenoch won 58 votes.
Tom Tugendhat was knocked out of the leadership race after picking up just 31 votes.
There was due to be a third televised debate tonight, but that has been cancelled after Sunak and Truss realised that tearing strips off each other on live television might not be the best way to promote the party.
Kemi Badenoch has suggested that the government’s target to hit net zero emissions should be delayed by as much as 20 years.
The claim contradicts what she told a hustings of the Conservative Environmental Network, when she gave the impression that she was committed to the net zero target date of 2050.
Alok Sharma, president of 2021’s COP26 summit, asked the leadership contenders if they backed the target. “All five candidates confirmed that they are committed to net zero by 2050,” he said after the hustings.
Tory leadership rivals should not be promising tax cuts, the UK head of the International Monetary Fund has warned. Mark Flanagan said debt-financed tax cuts “would be a mistake”. The next prime minister should focus on improving economic productivity, Flanagan said.
