Liz Truss’s bid to become Conservative leader gained momentum today (19 July) as she closed the gap to rival Penny Mordaunt in the latest round of voting among Tory MPs. The Foreign Secretary won the backing of 86 colleagues, an increase of 15.
Kemi Badenoch has been knocked out of the contest, despite a groundswell of support for her on the party’s right. Truss, who has backed immediate tax cuts and been the fiercest critic of the front-runner Rishi Sunak in the debates, will be hopeful that many of Badenoch’s 59 supporters line up behind her.
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