Final 2 Candidates For Con Leadership & PM's Position Revealed At Top Of Hour

The final two candidates for the Conservative party leadership will be revealed at the top of the hour following the fifth round of voting by the party's MPs. Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, and Minister of State for Trade Penny Mordaunt are the three candidates vying to go through to the final run-off, where party members will elect the next leader and PM.

• Mordaunt is seen as favourite to be eliminated from the contest, despite coming second in yesterday's fourth round. It is anticipated that many of the 59 votes that went to former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch in that contest will shift over to Truss, the other right winger left in the contest.
• None of the candidates have so far won the 120 votes that would exceed a third of the total and guarantee progress.
• Given how close the contest is expected to be, the removal of the whip from Tobias Ellwood MP (an opponent of PM Boris Johnson) for missing a confidence vote in parliament could prove crucial. He will not be allowed to vote in the leadership race, and was a public supporter of Mordaunt's campaign.
• Sebastian Payne at the FT tweets: "Senior allies of Penny Mordaunt claim Liz Truss has “pushed us out” and the trade minister won’t be in the final two shortlist. Ally blames series of attacks on Mordaunt. “I fear the only winner from that will be our opponents. Both will be damaged"."