Former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch was knocked out of the United Kingdom’s Conservative party leadership and prime minister race.
Gatekeepers News reports that the battle is now between foreign secretary Liz Truss and trade minister Penny Mordaunt over who will compete with ex-chancellor Rishi Sunak.
Sunak came top again on Tuesday in the latest ballot of Tory MPs with 118 votes, followed by Mordaunt on 92 and Truss on 86.
Sunak is closest to reaching the 120-vote threshold to ensure making the final shortlist of two candidates, which will be decided by MPs in a final ballot on Wednesday.
Conservative party members will then choose the winning candidate from the two-person shortlist, with the new Tory leader to succeed Boris Johnson announced on September 5.
Although Truss was in third place again, she gained the support of 15 MPs, and thereby closed the gap on Mordaunt, currently second. Mordaunt gained the backing of 10 MPs.
