Deadline to secure backers looms for Tory leader hopefuls

Candidates vying to be the leader of the Conservative Party - and the next prime minister - have until 18:00 BST to get the support of at least 20 MPs.

The deadline comes after the party increased the number of nominations required to make it on to the first-round ballot to speed up the process.

Ten MPs are putting themselves forward to replace Boris Johnson.

Three - Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt, and Tom Tugendhat - have so far passed the necessary threshold.

Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi also told the BBC he had the support of 20 MPs.

But Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has withdrawn from the contest, pledging to back Mr Sunak, who resigned as chancellor last week.

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Voting will get under way on Wednesday, with candidates needing 30 backers to make it into the second round.

The field will be whittled down to two finalists before the end of next week in successive rounds of voting by Tory MPs.

With candidates scrambling around for MPs' backing, Mr Sunak, former Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch and Mr Tugendhat, chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, have launched their official campaigns.

A winner will be picked in a postal ballot of around 160,000 Conservative Party members over summer, with the result due to be announced on 5 September.

On BBC Breakfast, Mr Zahawi was asked if he regretted his close association with Boris Johnson. He praised the prime minister for the coronavirus vaccine rollout and delivering Brexit, before saying he would bring the Conservative Party together and "heal those wounds".

The contest so far has been dominated by the issue of taxation, with nearly all of the candidates pledging cuts to personal or business taxes, or both.

On Monday the 1922 backbench committee, which organises leadership contests, increased the number of nominations needed to stand.

Vice-chair of the committee, Nusrat Ghani, told Radio 4's Today this was a "tweak" to the rules, adding: "I don't think it is a great task if you are trying to run for leader of the Conservative Party that you have the support of at least 20 colleagues."

Conservative leadership timetable

Tuesday 12 July - nominations to get on the ballot open, closing at 18:00 BST

Wednesday 13 July - first round of voting among Tory MPs

Thursday 14 July - likely date for second round of voting

Monday 18 July - likely date for third round of voting, if required

Thursday 21 July - deadline for deciding final two candidates

Monday 5 September - winner announced

Mr Sunak and Mr Tugendhat are launching their official campaigns on Tuesday.

The candidates for the party leadership are:

• Former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch

• Attorney General Suella Braverman

• Foreign Office minister Rehman Chishti

• Former Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt

• Former Health Secretary Sajid Javid

• Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt

• Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak

• Foreign Secretary Liz Truss

• Foreign Affairs Committee chair Tom Tugendhat

• Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi.

Mr Johnson will not be endorsing any of the candidates, having told the media: "I wouldn't want to damage anyone's chances with my support."

Rishi Sunak is the man to beat among Tory MPs.

After pledges of tax cuts from his rivals yesterday, the Mr Sunak will make an argument for what he sees as economic realism.

Yes, tax cuts. But only after inflation is under control and the economy is growing.

Expect him to argue he is prepared to make difficult decisions and act responsibly.

Liz Truss meanwhile is pitching herself to MPs as the best person to stop Mr Sunak.

She is expected to get some big cabinet backers today in Jacob Rees Mogg and Nadine Dorries.

But unsurprisingly, she isn't the only person making the argument she is best placed to take on Mr Sunak.

A number of candidates will spend the next few hours trying to shore up supporters.

Most believe they will meet the 20 threshold to get onto tomorrow's ballot. We'll find out for sure later.

Meanwhile, Labour will table a confidence motion in the government, sources say.

The party promised to bring the House of Commons vote if the Conservatives did not remove Mr Johnson from office immediately.

It could be held as early as Wednesday, but it is unlikely many Conservatives would back it.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer for their tax pledges, accusing them of entering an "arms race of fantasy economics".

He also accused them of "hypocrisy" for having backed tax hikes that have been introduced during Mr Johnson's time in office.

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