Penny Mordaunt came a strong second in that first round of voting. Her campaign launch this morning seemed to go well, and her campaign appears to have momentum, gaining a boost from a YouGov poll of Conservative members putting her ahead with them.
As she leaves the committee room where the result was declared, she says she's "very honoured".
Truss has 'experience to deliver Brexit benefits'
After the result, a spokeswoman for Liz Truss - who came third - says it is time for Conservative MPs to "unite behind the candidate who will cut taxes, deliver the real economic change we need from day one and ensure Putin loses in Ukraine".
She adds the foreign secretary has the "experience to deliver the benefits of Brexit from day one, grow our economy and support working families".
Jeremy Hunt's leadership bid is over
BBCCopyright: BBC
Former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt has been knocked out of the race to become the next Conservative Party leader - and PM. He secured just 18 votes - fewer than the 20 he must have secured to get onto the ballot in the first place.
"I want to thank my incredible team of loyal and talented supporters who put their faith in me. It’s become obvious to me you only get one big shot at this, and I had mine in 2019," he writes on Twitter.
"Nevertheless, it’s clear that our party has an exciting future, with the amazing array of talent on offer in this contest, and I feel confident that we are on track to win back trust."
He ends his thread of thoughts with a warning to the remaining contenders, saying "smears & attacks may bring short term tactical gain but always backfire long term".
"The nation is watching & they’ve had enough of our drama; be the broad church & unbeatable, election winning machine that our country deserves."
Badenoch can really cut through - Steve Double
Conservative MP Steve Double says that Kemi Badenoch - who came fourth in today's vote - "can really cut through" and he's decided to give her his vote.
He says he thinks "Kemi has very broad reach" and "can connect with just ordinary people" in a way that is "very exciting".
"She's been a minister in many different departments" and people who work with her "speak very highly" of her ability to do things in government, and she has a "fresh approach".
"Almost anything could happen now, I'm sure there'll be phones ringing across Parliament" for those who supported Jeremy Hunt and Nadhim Zahawi, he adds.
"Whoever takes over as leader, has got a job to do to rebuild trust with the public," he states, adding Badenoch also "has momentum" behind her.
Sunak and Mordaunt top poll of Conservative MPs
Here's a look at those results again - a reminder that six of the eight candidates have cleared the hurdle of securing the support of 30 MPs.
Nadhim Zahawi and Jeremy Hunt - who both have extensive Cabinet-level experience - are the two who are not going through.
.Copyright: .
David Davis: An extremely good result for Penny Mordaunt
Conservative MP and Penny Mordaunt supporter David Davis says "it's an extremely good result, she came second to Mr Sunak... and he was the favourite".
He says it's "always been the argument" that Rishi Sunak is the man to beat, but he says polling today shows that Mordaunt is popular with the Conservative Party membership.
"Penny has made the most cogent argument... for turbocharging Britain's growth" through tax cuts, infrastructure spending and other projects, he states.
Davis says he agrees with Penny Mordaunt that there should be a "clear, long term plan" to reduce debt as a percentage of GDP, and says she has "more momentum than almost anybody else".
He says he thinks she is the candidate who could win the next general election.
Remaining contenders progress to next round tomorrow
Chairman of the Tory backbench 1922 Committee Sir Graham Brady confirms the remaining six candidates can go forward to tomorrow's second round ballot of MPs.
BreakingZahawi and Hunt knocked out of contest
Nadhim Zahawi and Jeremy Hunt have been eliminated from the race to be next Tory leader, following the end of the first round of voting.
Candidates needed at least 30 MPs to support them to progress to a second round - neither Hunt nor Zahawi managed this.
Those six who made it will now proceed to a series of votes among MPs, eliminating the last placed candidate in each round until a final two are left.
This process is set to be completed by Parliament's summer recess on 21 July.
The remaining pair will then face Conservative party members at a series of hustings around the country over the summer, who will vote to select the new leader, and therefore prime minister.
BreakingSunak top as six candidates make second round
Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak has secured the most votes from Tory MPs after the first round of voting.
The remaining candidates left in the leadership contest are:
Rishi Sunak - 88 votes
Penny Mordaunt - 67 votes
Liz Truss - 50 votes
Kemi Badenoch - 40 votes
Tom Tugendhat - 37 votes
Suella Braverman - 32 votes
Sir Graham Brady about to announce the results
BBCCopyright: BBC
The chair of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs Sir Graham Brady has entered the committee room to announce the results - we'll bring you them as soon as we have them.
Result about to come in first round of Tory leadership election
We'll find out the results of the first ballot in the Conservative leadership election in ten minutes' time.
Tory MPs have voted for their choice from eight candidates - each will need 30 votes to make it through to the next round of voting.
Eventually, two candidates will emerge and they will proceed to the final round when party members will choose between them to select a new party leader - and prime minister.
We're standing by to bring you all the latest developments.
Analysis
Soon numbers will speak for themselves
Jonathan Blake
BBC political correspondent
For now, the talking is
over and soon the numbers will speak for themselves.
Any candidate with fewer
than thirty votes in this first round will be knocked out and if they all reach
that threshold the one with the fewest votes is eliminated.
Some candidates may
scrape through but decide they don't have enough support to go the distance and
drop out.
They and their backers
could then boost the chances of another hopeful by swinging in behind them.
By this evening, the
race could have seven contenders ready for another round of voting tomorrow, or
the field could be significantly smaller.
Sunak supporter: Some campaigns haven't ignited
Conservative MP Laura Farris is supporting former chancellor Rishi Sunak.
She tells BBC News that what will happen this week is "probably quite predictable" and there are three or four MPs "at the top" who are doing well, and there are others whose campaigns "haven't ignited, and probably won't make it through to next week".
Sunak "isn't taking anything for granted", she says, and isn't assuming anything about his continuing popularity.
Both Liz Truss and Penny Mordaunt, two other contenders, are "incredibly strong candidates", but support from MPs is expected to "ebb and flow," Farris states.
Sunak is "by far the most skilled economist" of all the candidates, she says, adding that he has already been dealing with the economy for nearly three years.
She says Sunak would consider tax cuts if the circumstances were right.
The next PM: Who are the runners and riders?
PA MediaCopyright: PA Media
The votes are being counted in today's first round of the Conservatives' leadership contest and we'll bring you the outcome at 17:00.
As we wait to find out who is going to make it through today's ballot, let's take a look at the eight candidates who are currently (still) in the race:
Kemi Badenoch - seen as a rising star, the former equalities minister quit last week
Suella Braverman - current attorney general, she has waged a "war on woke"
Jeremy Hunt - former foreign secretary and health secretary, he was a vocal critic of Boris Johnson
Penny Mordaunt - current trade minister, she has championed her role as a Royal Navy reservist
Rishi Sunak - former chancellor whose resignation stunned Downing Street
Liz Truss - current foreign secretary, she has promised to slash taxes from "day one"
Tom Tugendhat - senior backbench MP who has never had a government job
Nadhim Zahawi - former education secretary, vaccines minister - and current chancellor
Tonight will be really interesting for a couple of reasons.
One is that some candidates - at least one and potentially more - will drop out. The threshold to meet is 30 MPs backing them.
The second reason is we'll get a much better idea of the level of support for all the candidates because we'll get a tally of how many MPs voted for them.
Rishi Sunak seems to be the person to beat at the moment but both Penny Mordaunt and Liz Truss are vying very strongly to be the candidate that takes him on in the final two.
Voting closes in MPs' first ballot
Voting has now closed in the first ballot of Conservative MPs who are choosing from among the candidates to become the party's leader - and PM.
The two-stage voting process will see the final two from the current field of eight proceed to a ballot of party members.
To proceed to the next ballot of MPs, candidates need to secure 30 votes in today's first round.
We will find out the results of today's ballot at 17:00 BST - and we'll bring you all the developments live.
I'm only candidate who opposed May's Brexit - Braverman
Attorney General Suella Braverman has said none of her competitors "took a stance" against former Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal.
Braverman tells the BBC that when things were "incredibly pressured" she was the only candidate who resigned from her ministerial role in protest over the plan.
She did vote against the deal at all three stages, while the remaining seven contenders to take over as PM voted to approve the plan - which Braverman says would have left the UK a "vassal state".
Asked what she would do about plans to override the Northern Ireland Protocol should she succeed in becoming the next prime minister, she says it is a priority of hers and adds "my track record on Brexit makes me the best person to deliver".
In an earlier interview, Braverman told Sky News she's "very confident" she'll be able to make it through to the second round. She currently has 14 publicly declared backers.
Candidates will need 30 votes to make it through, with voting due to go on until 15:30 BST.
A reminder: How a new PM will be chosen
There are just over 40 minutes for Conservative MPs to take part in the first round of the election for their new leader - who will become the next prime minister, taking over from Boris Johnson.
If you've been following our coverage religiously, you've probably got the hang of it by now. But for those of you who need a refresher, here's a graphic setting out how the process works.
Yesterday we got the list of eight candidates who secured the backing of 20 MPs.
Now we're in the first round of voting - when the results are announced at 17:00 we will know which of the contenders will proceed to the next round.
.Copyright: .
At the scene: MPs hand in phones ahead of voting
By Peter Saull and Helen Catt, political correspondents
Conservative MPs are being asked to have their passes and phones ready
before they go in to vote for their next leader.
Presumably phones are being taken off them so they can’t
take pictures of their ballot papers, which has been an issue in previous
votes.
However, one Tory MP - Dr Luke Evans - has been giving followers of his TikTok account a behind-the-scenes look at the queues building outside the committee room.
The MP for Bosworth - who is backing Penny Mordaunt - filmed the clip despite Parliamentary rules prohibiting images from being captured in most circumstances on the estate.
Meanwhile, BBC News has been told about 300 Tory MPs have now voted.
Tory MPs queue to vote - with contenders appearing confident
Peter Saull
BBC Political Reporter
About 30 Conservative MPs, including Rishi Sunak, were already queuing outside Committee Room 10 in the Palace of Westminster when voting began at 13:30 BST in the first round of the Conservative leadership contest.
A total of 358 Tory MPs are eligible to cast a ballot. Voting ends at 15:30. The result of the first round is expected at 17:00.
Jeremy Hunt was among the early voters; he says he's feeling good and puts both thumbs up.
Penny Mordaunt also says she's "feeling good" but adds it's "early days, chill out guys".
Live Reporting
Edited by Claudia Allen
All times stated are UK
Get involved
Mordaunt 'very honoured' by first round result
Penny Mordaunt came a strong second in that first round of voting. Her campaign launch this morning seemed to go well, and her campaign appears to have momentum, gaining a boost from a YouGov poll of Conservative members putting her ahead with them.
As she leaves the committee room where the result was declared, she says she's "very honoured".
Truss has 'experience to deliver Brexit benefits'
After the result, a spokeswoman for Liz Truss - who came third - says it is time for Conservative MPs to "unite behind the candidate who will cut taxes, deliver the real economic change we need from day one and ensure Putin loses in Ukraine".
She adds the foreign secretary has the "experience to deliver the benefits of Brexit from day one, grow our economy and support working families".
Jeremy Hunt's leadership bid is over
Former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt has been knocked out of the race to become the next Conservative Party leader - and PM. He secured just 18 votes - fewer than the 20 he must have secured to get onto the ballot in the first place.
"I want to thank my incredible team of loyal and talented supporters who put their faith in me. It’s become obvious to me you only get one big shot at this, and I had mine in 2019," he writes on Twitter.
"Nevertheless, it’s clear that our party has an exciting future, with the amazing array of talent on offer in this contest, and I feel confident that we are on track to win back trust."
He ends his thread of thoughts with a warning to the remaining contenders, saying "smears & attacks may bring short term tactical gain but always backfire long term".
"The nation is watching & they’ve had enough of our drama; be the broad church & unbeatable, election winning machine that our country deserves."
Badenoch can really cut through - Steve Double
Conservative MP Steve Double says that Kemi Badenoch - who came fourth in today's vote - "can really cut through" and he's decided to give her his vote.
He says he thinks "Kemi has very broad reach" and "can connect with just ordinary people" in a way that is "very exciting".
"She's been a minister in many different departments" and people who work with her "speak very highly" of her ability to do things in government, and she has a "fresh approach".
"Almost anything could happen now, I'm sure there'll be phones ringing across Parliament" for those who supported Jeremy Hunt and Nadhim Zahawi, he adds.
"Whoever takes over as leader, has got a job to do to rebuild trust with the public," he states, adding Badenoch also "has momentum" behind her.
Sunak and Mordaunt top poll of Conservative MPs
Here's a look at those results again - a reminder that six of the eight candidates have cleared the hurdle of securing the support of 30 MPs.
Nadhim Zahawi and Jeremy Hunt - who both have extensive Cabinet-level experience - are the two who are not going through.
David Davis: An extremely good result for Penny Mordaunt
Conservative MP and Penny Mordaunt supporter David Davis says "it's an extremely good result, she came second to Mr Sunak... and he was the favourite".
He says it's "always been the argument" that Rishi Sunak is the man to beat, but he says polling today shows that Mordaunt is popular with the Conservative Party membership.
"Penny has made the most cogent argument... for turbocharging Britain's growth" through tax cuts, infrastructure spending and other projects, he states.
Davis says he agrees with Penny Mordaunt that there should be a "clear, long term plan" to reduce debt as a percentage of GDP, and says she has "more momentum than almost anybody else".
He says he thinks she is the candidate who could win the next general election.
Remaining contenders progress to next round tomorrow
Chairman of the Tory backbench 1922 Committee Sir Graham Brady confirms the remaining six candidates can go forward to tomorrow's second round ballot of MPs.
BreakingZahawi and Hunt knocked out of contest
Nadhim Zahawi and Jeremy Hunt have been eliminated from the race to be next Tory leader, following the end of the first round of voting.
Candidates needed at least 30 MPs to support them to progress to a second round - neither Hunt nor Zahawi managed this.
Those six who made it will now proceed to a series of votes among MPs, eliminating the last placed candidate in each round until a final two are left.
This process is set to be completed by Parliament's summer recess on 21 July.
The remaining pair will then face Conservative party members at a series of hustings around the country over the summer, who will vote to select the new leader, and therefore prime minister.
BreakingSunak top as six candidates make second round
Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak has secured the most votes from Tory MPs after the first round of voting.
The remaining candidates left in the leadership contest are:
Sir Graham Brady about to announce the results
The chair of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs Sir Graham Brady has entered the committee room to announce the results - we'll bring you them as soon as we have them.
Result about to come in first round of Tory leadership election
We'll find out the results of the first ballot in the Conservative leadership election in ten minutes' time.
Tory MPs have voted for their choice from eight candidates - each will need 30 votes to make it through to the next round of voting.
Eventually, two candidates will emerge and they will proceed to the final round when party members will choose between them to select a new party leader - and prime minister.
We're standing by to bring you all the latest developments.
Soon numbers will speak for themselves
Jonathan Blake
BBC political correspondent
For now, the talking is over and soon the numbers will speak for themselves.
Any candidate with fewer than thirty votes in this first round will be knocked out and if they all reach that threshold the one with the fewest votes is eliminated.
Some candidates may scrape through but decide they don't have enough support to go the distance and drop out.
They and their backers could then boost the chances of another hopeful by swinging in behind them.
By this evening, the race could have seven contenders ready for another round of voting tomorrow, or the field could be significantly smaller.
Sunak supporter: Some campaigns haven't ignited
Conservative MP Laura Farris is supporting former chancellor Rishi Sunak.
She tells BBC News that what will happen this week is "probably quite predictable" and there are three or four MPs "at the top" who are doing well, and there are others whose campaigns "haven't ignited, and probably won't make it through to next week".
Sunak "isn't taking anything for granted", she says, and isn't assuming anything about his continuing popularity.
Both Liz Truss and Penny Mordaunt, two other contenders, are "incredibly strong candidates", but support from MPs is expected to "ebb and flow," Farris states.
Sunak is "by far the most skilled economist" of all the candidates, she says, adding that he has already been dealing with the economy for nearly three years.
She says Sunak would consider tax cuts if the circumstances were right.
The next PM: Who are the runners and riders?
The votes are being counted in today's first round of the Conservatives' leadership contest and we'll bring you the outcome at 17:00.
As we wait to find out who is going to make it through today's ballot, let's take a look at the eight candidates who are currently (still) in the race:
Read more about each of them here.
Result of first vote will reveal a lot
Nick Eardley
Political correspondent
Tonight will be really interesting for a couple of reasons.
One is that some candidates - at least one and potentially more - will drop out. The threshold to meet is 30 MPs backing them.
The second reason is we'll get a much better idea of the level of support for all the candidates because we'll get a tally of how many MPs voted for them.
Rishi Sunak seems to be the person to beat at the moment but both Penny Mordaunt and Liz Truss are vying very strongly to be the candidate that takes him on in the final two.
Voting closes in MPs' first ballot
Voting has now closed in the first ballot of Conservative MPs who are choosing from among the candidates to become the party's leader - and PM.
The two-stage voting process will see the final two from the current field of eight proceed to a ballot of party members.
To proceed to the next ballot of MPs, candidates need to secure 30 votes in today's first round.
We will find out the results of today's ballot at 17:00 BST - and we'll bring you all the developments live.
I'm only candidate who opposed May's Brexit - Braverman
Attorney General Suella Braverman has said none of her competitors "took a stance" against former Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal.
Braverman tells the BBC that when things were "incredibly pressured" she was the only candidate who resigned from her ministerial role in protest over the plan.
She did vote against the deal at all three stages, while the remaining seven contenders to take over as PM voted to approve the plan - which Braverman says would have left the UK a "vassal state".
Asked what she would do about plans to override the Northern Ireland Protocol should she succeed in becoming the next prime minister, she says it is a priority of hers and adds "my track record on Brexit makes me the best person to deliver".
In an earlier interview, Braverman told Sky News she's "very confident" she'll be able to make it through to the second round. She currently has 14 publicly declared backers.
Candidates will need 30 votes to make it through, with voting due to go on until 15:30 BST.
A reminder: How a new PM will be chosen
There are just over 40 minutes for Conservative MPs to take part in the first round of the election for their new leader - who will become the next prime minister, taking over from Boris Johnson.
If you've been following our coverage religiously, you've probably got the hang of it by now. But for those of you who need a refresher, here's a graphic setting out how the process works.
Yesterday we got the list of eight candidates who secured the backing of 20 MPs.
Now we're in the first round of voting - when the results are announced at 17:00 we will know which of the contenders will proceed to the next round.
At the scene: MPs hand in phones ahead of voting
By Peter Saull and Helen Catt, political correspondents
Conservative MPs are being asked to have their passes and phones ready before they go in to vote for their next leader.
Presumably phones are being taken off them so they can’t take pictures of their ballot papers, which has been an issue in previous votes.
However, one Tory MP - Dr Luke Evans - has been giving followers of his TikTok account a behind-the-scenes look at the queues building outside the committee room.
The MP for Bosworth - who is backing Penny Mordaunt - filmed the clip despite Parliamentary rules prohibiting images from being captured in most circumstances on the estate.
Meanwhile, BBC News has been told about 300 Tory MPs have now voted.
Tory MPs queue to vote - with contenders appearing confident
Peter Saull
BBC Political Reporter
About 30 Conservative MPs, including Rishi Sunak, were already queuing outside Committee Room 10 in the Palace of Westminster when voting began at 13:30 BST in the first round of the Conservative leadership contest.
A total of 358 Tory MPs are eligible to cast a ballot. Voting ends at 15:30. The result of the first round is expected at 17:00.
Jeremy Hunt was among the early voters; he says he's feeling good and puts both thumbs up.
Penny Mordaunt also says she's "feeling good" but adds it's "early days, chill out guys".
Asked if he's feeling confident, Sunak nods.