Conservative leadership candidate Tom Tugendhat has been removed from the contest to succeed Rishi Sunak.
After a vote by party MPs this afternoon, Mr. Tugendhat garnered only 20 votes, the fewest among the four candidates.
Former Home Secretary James Cleverly MP topped the vote count with 39.
Former Minister Robert Jenrick secured second place with 31 votes, while former Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch followed closely with 30.
The ultimate winner will be decided by a vote from the broader party membership, with the results set to be revealed on 2 November.
All four candidates delivered individual speeches at the Conservative party conference last week in an effort to sway the party supporters.
Read more: Will returning to ‘normal’ help the Tories regain votes?
Yesterday, former leadership aspirant Mel Stride declared his support for Mr. Cleverly.
