London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Jul 29, 2025

Tory leadership: Badenoch out as race to be next PM tightens

Tory leadership: Badenoch out as race to be next PM tightens

Liz Truss has narrowed the gap with Tory leadership rival Penny Mordaunt, as they battle to secure a place in the run-off vote among members.

Former chancellor Rishi Sunak again topped the latest MPs' ballot with 118 votes, suggesting he is likely to secure a spot in the final two places.

Ms Mordaunt came second with 92, only six votes ahead of Ms Truss with 86.

Kemi Badenoch, who came last with 59 votes, has been knocked out of the contest.

The three remaining candidates face a further vote by MPs on Wednesday to decide who will make the final two.

Voting will then be thrown open to 160,000 Tory party members to pick the winner, who will replace Boris Johnson as prime minister on 5 September.

Contenders need to bag 119 votes from Tory MPs to get into the run-off, suggesting former chancellor Mr Sunak is likely to secure a place.

Foreign secretary Liz Truss closed the gap on Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt in Tuesday's vote, gaining 15 more MP votes to Mordaunt's gain of 10.

The pair will now go all out to grab the votes of those MPs who backed Ms Badenoch, as they bid to secure a place in the run-off.

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith, who is backing Ms Truss, said the result showed she "has the momentum" and had garnered support from a wide range of Conservative MPs.

Tory MP Maria Miller, a Mordaunt supporter, said her candidate would offer a "fresh choice" for members and said her campaign would now focus on wooing Badenoch supporters.


Little known beyond Tory circles at the start of the race, former equalities minister Ms Badenoch has been the breakthrough candidate of the contest.

She won support and gained attention with her straight-talking approach and emphasis on cultural issues that have divided the party in recent years.

Her departure from the contest will trigger a scramble among remaining candidates to secure the support of the 59 MPs backing her on Tuesday.

Badenoch backer Ben Bradley predicted her voters could go "in all directions," and he had not yet decided whom to back in Wednesday's vote.

It comes as:

*  The BBC announced it will broadcast a live TV debate with the final two candidates on Monday

*  Ms Mordaunt pledged to scrap house building targets for councils, and channel development away from "precious greenfields"

*  Ms Truss promised that if elected she would increase UK defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2030

A Sky News debate scheduled for Tuesday evening has been cancelled, after Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss declined to take part.

Instead, the remaining hopefuls will look to garner support from Tory MPs during a hustings hosted by the Onward think tank and the Northern Research Group of Tory MPs representing seats in the north of England.


Too close to call


The placings haven't changed but a close look at the numbers tells us how unpredictable this contest is.

Thirty one votes were up for grabs from Tom Tugendhat's supporters after he was eliminated in the last round.

It's clear they haven't moved as a block as all the candidates have gained votes.

Liz Truss has kept up her momentum but not enough to leapfrog Penny Mordaunt who picked up enough votes to stay in second.

Rishi Sunak only gained three votes, showing that while he's been in front from the start it's not a runaway lead.

It's a very tight race and at this point, impossible to call.


Watch: Sir Graham Brady announces Kemi Badenoch has been knocked out of the Tory leadership race


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
×