Summary

  • Former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch has been knocked out of the Tory leadership race

  • She came last in the latest round of voting by Conservative MPs with 59 votes

  • Ex-chancellor Rishi Sunak wins the fourth round with 118 votes, three more than last time

  • Trade minister Penny Mordaunt is second with 92 votes, gaining 10 votes since yesterday

  • Although Foreign Secretary Liz Truss came third with 86 votes, she gained 15 votes - more than any other candidate - and is closing in on Mordaunt

  • By Wednesday night we'll be left with just two candidates; Tory members then pick the winner who'll be announced on 5 September

  1. Brady to announce vote resultspublished at 15:00 British Summer Time 19 July 2022

    Sir Graham Brady announcing resultsImage source, .

    Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, has appeared in the committee room.

    He will soon announce the result from the fourth round of voting in the Conservative leadership contest. The candidate with the least votes will be eliminated from the contest.

    We'll bring you the results as we get them.

  2. Results known soonpublished at 14:59 British Summer Time 19 July 2022

    Votes have been counted and we're expecting to bring you the results at 3pm.

    Stay with us for the latest developments and analysis.

  3. Why candidates are racing to get 120 votespublished at 14:57 British Summer Time 19 July 2022

    Between now and tomorrow afternoon, the remaining candidates will be dashing around trying to secure 120 votes.

    That number marks the threshold at which a place in the final two is effectively guaranteed.

    With 357 Tory MPs eligible to vote, they need to bag more than third - 119 - to be confident of their place on the ballot among Tory Party members.

    Rishi Sunak has come closest, with 115 votes in the last round.

    All eyes on whether he can hit that magic 120 number shortly.

  4. Does Tugendhat now lead a powerful party group?published at 14:37 British Summer Time 19 July 2022

    Nick Eardley
    Political correspondent

    Tom Tugendhat was knocked out yesterday. But is he now head of a powerful group in the party?

    He seemed to want to give that impression at the vote.

    Tugendhat was accompanied by an entourage of around a dozen supporters - including cabinet minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan.

    We’ve not been told who Mr Tugendhat is voting for this round.

    Tom TugendhatImage source, .
  5. First edition Churchill books given to PM at his final cabinetpublished at 14:24 British Summer Time 19 July 2022

    Boris Johnson with his giftsImage source, No 10 Flickr

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been given first edition copies of Sir Winston Churchill's books about World War Two as a gift at his final cabinet meeting.

    His entire cabinet presented him with the books by the British wartime leader, which are estimated to be worth about £750, according to a Downing Street spokesman.

    The gift for the PM was to "thank him for his service to the country", the spokesman said.

    Johnson previously wrote a book about former Churchill called the Churchill Factor.

  6. Fourth round of voting closespublished at 14:05 British Summer Time 19 July 2022

    The fourth round of voting in the Conservative leadership contest has just closed.

    We're expecting the results at 3pm, and we'll find out which contender has been knocked out of the leadership race.

    Stick with us as we bring you the latest updates throughout the afternoon.

  7. BBC confirms debate between final two candidatespublished at 14:00 British Summer Time 19 July 2022

    The BBC will broadcast a final TV debate called "Our Next Prime Minister" between the final two candidates in the contest on 25 July.

    It will be presented by Sophie Raworth, with analysis from BBC Political Editor Chris Mason and BBC Economics Editor Faisal Islam.

    The programme will broadcast live from Stoke-on-Trent in front of a 80 to 100 strong audience at 9pm on BBC One.

    The BBC will also invite the final two candidates to take part in a televised one-on-one interview with Nick Robinson in "Our Next Prime Minister: The Interviews."

    Read more here.

  8. Westminster heats up as Tory MPs cast votespublished at 13:43 British Summer Time 19 July 2022

    Westminster in the heatwaveImage source, Getty Images

    At least three fans have been placed in Committee Room 14 - the room where Tory MPs will cast their votes - as Westminster bakes in the heatwave.

    The result is due to be announced at 3pm.

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  9. Bookies' make Liz Truss second favouritepublished at 13:28 British Summer Time 19 July 2022

    Graph of bookmaker odds in the Tory leadership contest

    It looks as though there's been some last-minute wagers on Liz Truss at the bookies, the foreign secretary has suddenly bounded ahead into second place after Penny Mordaunt's odds crashed.

    According to bookmakers it seems Mordaunt's chances of becoming PM have plummeted.

    They think Rishi Sunak will likely become the next prime minister, but it's interesting that former favourite Mordaunt has been overtaken by Sunak and Truss following a sustained campaign of negative briefing by some in the Conservative Party.

    Truss and Mordaunt were nearly level between 6-11 July according to the odds, with Mordaunt overtaking Sunak as likely leader between 11-15 July.

  10. MP arrives at vote wearing Obama-inspired Sunak t-shirtpublished at 13:07 British Summer Time 19 July 2022

    Nick Eardley
    Political correspondent

    An MP has just turned up wearing a Rishi Sunak t-shirt in the style of the Barack Obama “hope” logo.

    Sunak has long been a favourite to make it to the last two.

    If he gets over a third of the votes he’ll be pretty much guaranteed a place on the final ballot of Conservative members.

    But he will still be in the vote tomorrow - even if he reaches that benchmark.

    Remember, Penny Mordaunt lost a vote yesterday. It’s not over until it's over.

    Rishi SunakImage source, .
  11. Mordaunt reiterates support for Johnson's levelling-up programmepublished at 12:57 British Summer Time 19 July 2022

    Penny Mordaunt, who is trying to regain momentum in the race to become the new prime minister, has backed the levelling-up agenda started by Boris Johnson.

    Mordaunt claims to be the candidate Labour fears most and the one best placed to succeed in a general election.

    Ahead of hustings by the Northern Research Group of Tory MPs, she committed to delivering Northern Powerhouse Rail alongside HS2, while pledging that 50% of new hydrogen capacity will be built in the north. She also said she would support the extraction of clean energy from coalfields.

    "We were elected on a manifesto to deliver levelling up, and I remain committed to delivering on the promises we made to the country," she said.

    Meanwhile, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, who's backing Rishi Sunak, has insisted the former chancellor is a "huge fan of levelling up".

  12. Why the result of today’s leadership vote is really importantpublished at 12:44 British Summer Time 19 July 2022

    Nick Eardley
    Political correspondent

    This is the penultimate vote of Tory MPs. Tomorrow, we’ll know the final candidates to be prime minister.

    That means the results of today’s vote are going to be really important.

    Will Rishi Sunak secure a third of the vote, all but guaranteeing him a place in the final two?

    Where will Tom Tugendhat's votes go? All of the campaigns are hoping for some.

    Will Penny Mordaunt pick up some votes after she went backwards yesterday?

    She is battling it out with Liz Truss for second place and a sign of momentum today will be important.

    And is this the end for Kemi Badenoch’s campaign? She is favourite to come last and be eliminated.

    Her team say she is still fighting for votes - particularly from Truss’s supporters.

    But if she is knocked out - she could become something of a kingmaker.

    Who Badenoch and her supporters back will probably decide who makes the final shortlist of two.

    A graph showing how leadership candidates have fared so far in each ballotImage source, .
  13. WATCH: I'm the candidate who could win the next election - Badenochpublished at 12:37 British Summer Time 19 July 2022

    Tory leadership candidate Kemi Badenoch spoke to the media on her way to work this morning.

    Badenoch says she's feeling confident about today's leadership vote which is taking place right now.

    She said her colleagues are looking at who will win the next election - and believes she's that candidate.

    Badenoch added that she is getting support from "all wings of the party" because she is a "unity candidate".

  14. MPs arriving to cast leadership votespublished at 12:26 British Summer Time 19 July 2022

    Pete Saull
    Political Correspondent, BBC Westminster

    As has been the case for several days now, a queue formed outside Committee Room 14 shortly before voting got under way.

    Among the first to cast their ballot in this latest round is Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.

    “Military punctuality”, quipped one of his colleagues.

    Michael Gove also turns up early. He’s backing Kemi Badenoch, who’s currently in fourth place.

    When asked if she's going to be knocked out today, Gove says, smiling, “she’s going to make it to the final two!”

    With temperatures soaring, some male MPs are breaking with convention and turning up to vote in shorts.

    Neil O’Brien, who’s proudly displaying his legs, says there are a few of his colleagues who are “embracing change”.

    Paraphrasing Alan Partridge, he says “it’s hotter than the sun in my office. It’s the only way I can function”.

  15. Badenoch could win support from Tugendhat's teampublished at 12:15 British Summer Time 19 July 2022

    Will Tanner, a former adviser to Theresa May and director of thinktank Onward, says Kemi Badenoch could "surprise again this evening" and make it through to the fifth round of voting.

    Tanner says Badenoch, who placed fourth behind Liz Truss with 58 votes last night, could win the support of MPs who had been voting for Tom Tugendhat before he was eliminated.

    "I think just looking at the politics of that group, they're more likely to be supporting Kemi, Rishi, and Penny than Liz," he says.

    He also says Mordaunt supporter Tobias Ellwood, who as we reported earlier has been stripped of the Tory party whip and the ability to vote in the leadership election should not "shift the race in a substantial fashion".

    "If anything, it could potentially harden some of the more anti-Boris Johnson sentiments within the party", he adds.

  16. Fourth round of voting beginspublished at 12:00 British Summer Time 19 July 2022

    The fourth round of voting in the Conservative leadership contest has begun.

    One of the four remaining contenders - Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt, Liz Truss or Kemi Badenoch - will be eliminated from the contest this afternoon.

    Voting ends at 2pm. We're expecting the results to be announced around 3pm.

    We'll bring you that announcement as soon as we have it.

  17. Johnson defends his leadership at final Cabinet meetingpublished at 11:46 British Summer Time 19 July 2022

    Boris Johnson during a Cabinet meetingImage source, PA Media

    Boris Johnson has used his final Cabinet meeting to defend his record in office as Tory leadership contenders seek to break from some of the policies he championed.

    Addressing the heatwave that's affecting many parts of the country, Johnson said his climate change target - committing to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 - was right, even if it had become "unfashionable".

    All four remaining candidates in the Tory leadership race have expressed concern about the target because of the economic risk.

    Johnson also reflected on the pandemic and the lifting of coronavirus restrictions a year on from England's "freedom day".

    He said he was proud to open up retail and hospitality, despite warnings it was "reckless".

    The PM also told his new Cabinet - which was hastily rejigged following the resignations which triggered his imminent exit from the role - to "bash on with our agenda".

  18. At each stage, a fight for new votespublished at 11:31 British Summer Time 19 July 2022

    As each candidate gets knocked out, the others candidates' teams work hard to woo MPs over to their side.

    So far, at each round, the remaining four candidates have all gained extra votes, apart from Penny Mordaunt who received one fewer vote last night. Despite this, her camp will be hoping for Tom Tugendhat's supporters to come their way, to keep her ahead of Foreign Secretary Liz Truss.

    Meanwhile Kemi Badenoch's camp sense momentum after she gained more votes between round three and four than Truss and Mordaunt, despite remaining in fourth place.

    All the candidates are trying to reach the magic figure of 120 to get through to the final head-to-head run off with Conservative party members.

    The former chancellor, Rishi Sunak, is expected to cross that threshold tonight. The fight at this point is for second place.

    Conservative vote numbers so far
  19. Dorries: PM was not trying to remove vote for Mordauntpublished at 11:17 British Summer Time 19 July 2022

    Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries says suggestions the prime minister was trying to remove a vote for Penny Mordaunt by stripping the whip from Tobias Ellwood is incorrect.

    In a tweet, external, she says:

    Quote Message

    This is wholly untrue and frankly utterly ridiculous. Every single MP of every party is under no illusion regarding the price to be paid in not voting during a Gov confidence motion. It’s a very clearly defined and historic red line. Tobias could have voted like everyone else.

  20. Tobias Ellwood loses Conservative whippublished at 11:06 British Summer Time 19 July 2022

    Boris Johnson has stripped the Tory party whip from senior MP Tobias Ellwood after he didn't return from a foreign trip to vote in support of the government in the vote of confidence last night.

    As a result, the long-time Johnson critic will no longer be able to vote alongside fellow MPs in the Conservative leadership election, where he is supporting Penny Mordaunt.

    The former minister, who chairs the Commons Defence Committee, argued he was unable to travel back from a meeting with the president of Moldova because of "unprecedented disruption".

    But a Tory source said: "Other Conservative MPs cancelled foreign trips, left poorly relatives and one MP's mother died on the morning of the vote and [they] still attended and voted."

    MPs voted to say the Commons still supports the government. The victory means that Johnson is expected to continue in Downing Street until September.

    Ellwood said was "very sorry to lose the whip" but will continue meetings related to the war in Ukraine.