As we reported earlier, Boris Johnson is combating Labour's call for a vote of no confidence in him by tabling a motion asking MPs whether they have confidence in his government.

This is likely to take place next week, before the summer recess - Downing Street says the prime minister plans to open the debate on Monday.

Labour has accused the government of "running scared" after blocking its plans to stage a Commons vote today on the PM and his administration.

The government has hit back, saying Labour is "playing politics" when Johnson has already resigned.

Failing to win a vote of confidence could trigger a general election. For that reason, it's unlikely many, if any, Tory MPs would vote to bring down their government given the party is trailing Labour in the opinion polls.

A government spokesman says: "The government will always allow time for appropriate House matters whilst ensuring that it delivers parliamentary business to help improve people's everyday lives."

Labour says the government is worried it might lose a vote on the original wording it proposed.

Former leadership contender Rehman Chishti has announced he will back Tom Tugendhat for the top job.

Chishti, a newly appointed minister, raised eyebrows by launching his own bid minutes after Foreign Secretary Liz Truss declared her run on Sunday night.

He pulled out of the race on Tuesday after failing to secure any public supporters among fellow MPs.

Now he has said he is "delighted to support" Tugendhat - an endorsement he says is "in line with the vision and values I set out in my leadership campaign".

No 10 has denied running a campaign to prevent Rishi Sunak from winning the leadership contest.

Pressed on whether No 10 is supportive of the former chancellor - who resigned from the Cabinet last week - Boris Johnson's spokeswoman says they are "not getting involved in any leadership conversations".

The spokeswoman also insists the PM is "remaining neutral" in the battle to succeed him, after being asked if he was disappointed that Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries and Brexit opportunities minister Jacob Rees-Mogg gave their support to Liz Truss moving into Downing Street.

She adds she does not know if Johnson had discussed their plans to endorse the foreign secretary with the two ministers.

Image source, Getty Images

A snap poll of Conservative Party members has shown Penny Mordaunt has the most support among card-carrying Tories.

The trade minister secured 27% support in the overnight poll of 879 Conservative members by YouGov.

Kemi Badenoch secured 15%, while Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss both secured 13%.

Tory party members will choose between two final candidates, selected by MPs, as part of the two-stage selection process.

YouGov also paired off candidates to simulate head-to-head contests - its analysis suggests Mordaunt would be the victor against any of the other seven contenders - among party members.

Image source, .

There are eight candidates remaining, and each of them now needs to secure at least 30 votes from fellow Conservative MPs this afternoon to remain in the race for prime minister. At least one will be knocked out, possibly more.

So far, Kemi Badenoch, Suella Braverman, Jeremy Hunt, Penny Mordaunt, Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, Tom Tugendhat and Nadhim Zahawi have all secured the necessary 20 votes to stay competitive.

Today's vote is starting right about now, at 13:30, with the result expected at about 17:00.

It's a very condensed selection process, as the party seeks to move quickly to elect a new leader.

Some eyebrows were raised a little earlier when Boris Johnson suggested in the Commons that today's PMQs could be his last - because his successor might be elected "by acclamation".

In other words, the final two candidates for Tory leader might reach a deal and avoid a vote of grassroots members.

But his press secretary now says: "As things stand, he will still be doing PMQs in his last week."

And we get some clarity on his exact leaving date too.

So long as the next Conservative leader is chosen on 5 September, Johnson will be saying his final goodbyes the next day, according to his spokesman.

Flat atmosphere for what could be Johnson's final PMQspublished at 13:16 British Summer Time 13 July 2022

13:16 BST 13 July 2022

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

The feeling, watching from the press gallery above the Commons chamber, was that the atmosphere during Prime Minister's Questions was a little flat - despite the cheers from the Tory benches for Boris Johnson.

Not much new ground was broken, with the SNP pushing the case for Scottish independence, the PM accusing Sir Keir Starmer of knowing more about north London suburb "Stoke Newington than Stoke" and the Labour leader denouncing tax avoidance.

The last question focussed on murder and violent crime so perhaps it was understandable that PMQs ended in a subdued mood.

PMQs has just finished up in the last few moments after rowdy scenes in the Commons.

If you're just joining us, here are the key takeaways from what is likely to be Boris Johnson's penultimate Prime Minister's Questions:

• The session had a fractious start, with Alba MPs Neale Hanvey and Kenny MacAskill ordered to leave and subsequently suspended from the chamber
• Boris Johnson struck a defiant tone as he told MPs he would leave his job as PM with his "head held high"
• Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer focused his line of attack on taxes - quizzing Johnson on the pledges made by Tory leadership contenders
• Meanwhile, Johnson's government is combating Labour's push to force a no confidence vote by instead tabling its own motion to ask MPs whether they have confidence in the government.
• Johnson also defended his record on Brexit, infrastructure projects and supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia in response to questions from backbencher MPs
• He also dismissed the idea of a second Scottish independence vote after he was pressed by a number of SNP MPs.

It was the first PMQs since Boris Johnson resigned as the Conservative party leader.

Johnson and Starmer both paid tribute to the assassinated former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe.

Then attention turned to the Tory leadership race - with Starmer wondering whether Johnson is "demob happy".

But Johnson said any of the eight Tory leadership candidates would "wipe the floor" with Starmer, calling him "Captain Crash-a-roony Snooze Fest".

Watch the full bout here.

The Speaker of the House of Commons has officially named Kenny MacAskill and Neale Hanvey as the two MPs expelled from the chamber earlier.

It came after disruption at the beginning of Prime Minister's Questions.

MPs voiced their support for the two MPs - who represent Scottish seats for the Alba Party - to be suspended from Parliament.

By convention, the naming of the MPs in Parliament triggers a five-day suspension from the Commons.

The BBC's Panorama investigation into alleged unlawful killings by SAS operatives in Afghanistan is mentioned by the SNP's Stewart Malcolm McDonald, who asks if the prime minister will conduct an independent inquiry into the revelations.

Boris Johnson says it's a longstanding practice that the Commons does not comment on special forces, but that doesn't mean they accept the factual accuracy of the claims.

However, he adds that it also doesn't mean that anybody who serves in the special forces is above the law.

Jack Brereton, Conservative MP for Stoke-on Trent, highlights that the number of workless households in his city has halved over the last decade.

He asks if the PM agrees the best way to level up in Stoke-on-Trent is to get more people in well paid, better skilled jobs.

The PM agrees, and says he's proud his government is getting young people into work up and down the country.

Labour MP Jon Trickett highlights the pressure on ambulance services. He tells of the case of a constituent who he says died after waiting hours for an ambulance to arrive at her home.

He says there's an emergency health crisis and many more people will die if the shortage of ambulances is not tackled urgently.

Boris Johnson agrees that the issue of ambulance waiting times is critical, but says the problem lies in hospitals being held up from moving patients through their systems because of a shortage of social care beds.

He adds that the government is "fixing" the care issue by spending £39bn on it. The PM also says there are a record number of staff in the NHS.

The SNP's Patricia Gibson asks why Tory MPs get to change their mind on a choice of leader a month after a confidence vote, when Scotland can't change its mind on hosting another independence referendum.

"The people of the SNP" are deciding on what to do with Ian Blackford, replies Boris Johnson.

More questions from backbenchers now, and the SNP's Martyn Day brings up Scottish independence and speaks about the role of the UK government in respecting the mandate given by the people of Scotland.

Boris Johnson tells Day that he and his colleagues should instead focus on educational standards in Scotland instead of asking for a repeat of a constitutional event in 2014.

"We had a vote Mr Speaker, they lost," Johnson says of the failed vote for Scottish independence.

Labour is targeting Sunakpublished at 12:37 British Summer Time 13 July 2022

12:37 BST 13 July 2022

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

The Labour attack was aimed not just at the current chancellor but the previous one - and the leading Tory leadership candidate amongst MPs, Rishi Sunak.

Sources in the Labour leader's office say their private polling suggests Rishi Sunak will be far less popular in the "red wall" seats which the party needs to win back than Boris Johnson would have been.

But they did not offer up any evidence of how well Sunak may play in the "blue wall" - Conservative seats targeted by the Lib Dems which, if won, could help deprive the government of a majority at the next election.

Next, a question on Brexit. Conservative MP for Redcar Jacob Young asks the PM if he's as optimistic as he is about a free and independent nation.

"If anything I'm even more optimistic," says Johnson.

His only anxiety, he says, is there are people around the world that will think that this will be the end of Brexit.

"They're wrong - and we're going to show them they're wrong," he adds, pointing to the opposition benches.

Plaid Cymru's Westminster Leader Liz Saville Roberts says poverty has risen in Wales in all areas. She says in her area, 70% of children grow up in poverty.

She asks for benefits to be improved and the two child limit to be scrapped.

Boris Johnson says Labour in Wales are responsible for schooling, and the government is giving extra money to councils in Wales to help households which are struggling.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the UK is "using the fiscal firepower that we built up to cut taxes on working people".

He says again the government is increasing support for vulnerable households from tomorrow.

He says, thanks to the Union, the UK was able to help Scotland with the furlough scheme during the pandemic.

The SNP's Westminster leader says Westminster has never been so "out of touch".

Blackford says while the Tory leadership candidates focus on "tax cuts for the rich", families across Scotland are struggling to put food on the table or to heat their homes.

Scotland, he adds, cannot afford the cost of living with Westminster.