Conservative leadership favourite Boris Johnson was taunted by rival Jeremy Hunt after failing to appear for a live televised debate.
Mr Hunt and fellow contenders Michael Gove, Dominic Raab, Sajid Javid and Rory Stewart faced questions from host Krishnan Guru-Murthy and a studio audience in the 90-minute Channel 4 broadcast on Sunday evening.
Channel 4 installed an empty podium on the stage in place of Mr Johnson, who declined the invitation.
During the debate, Mr Hunt asked: “Where is Boris? If his team won’t allow him out with five fairly friendly colleagues, how is is he going to deal with 27 European countries?”
The programme also saw some tense exchanges over Mr Raab’s insistence that suspending parliament to force through Brexit should remain on the table.
“I don’t think it is likely but it is not illegal,” he said.
International development secretary Mr Stewart warned shutting down parliament would “undemocratic” and “deeply disturbing”, while Mr Javid likened the strategy to that of a “dictator”.
Here’s how we covered the debate as it happened.
Good evening and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of the first televised debate between the Conservative leadership candidates.
Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove, Dominic Raab, Savid Javid and Rory Stewart will be setting out their stalls on Channel 4 in just over half an hour as they seek to gain ground on Boris Johnson, the strong favourite to replace Theresa May.
Johnson himself will be conspicuous by his absence, having declined the invitation as he keeps a low media profile in the run-up to next week's votes.
Tonight's proceedings - overseen by Krishnan Guru-Murthy - will get underway at 6.30pm.
Boris Johnson has an "open invitation" to join his leadership rivals at this evening's debate, host Krishnan Guru-Murthy has tweeted:
The leadership candidates have arrived in Stratford, east London, ahead of the debate.
Underdog Rory Stewart, speaking as he entered the studio, said he was "looking forward'' to the debate and hoped that Boris Johnson was going to "make a last-minute appearance''.
He added: "We're choosing a prime minister and the public has the right to hear from us and judge who had the qualities to be prime minister Minister.''
Stewart said he was hoping to discuss "what we can achieve after Brexit, the way we can make this country fairer, greener, and more united'' during the live debate.
Michael Gove told journalists outside the studio he was "looking forward to a positive exchange''.
Krishnan Guru-Murthy takes the first question from the audience: How do you intend to defeat Corbyn and Farage?
Michael Gove is the first to answer: "There is nothing more important than preventing Jeremy Corbyn getting into Parliament."
He says the party needs "someone who has strong beliefs in Conservative principles" and said Corbyn would push "Marxist economics".
Gove provokes laughter among the audience by suggesting Corbyn would be "the most terrified" of him out of all of the candidates.
Jeremy Hunt says the only way to beat the Brexit Party is to deliver Brexit.
Corbyn "is against aspiration, he is against British values, he is against Britain", he claims.
"We will only get a majority if we reach out to the centre ground", he says, adding the party needs to win over young people who have not voted Tory.
Here's the scene in the studio, where an empty podium reserved for Boris Johnson is conspicuously placed at centre stage, between Sajid Javid and Dominic Raab.
The audience is made up of "floating voters" willing to choose the Tories at an election.
There's the first moment of tension between the candidates as Rory Stewart and Dominic Raab clash a prime minister suspending parliament to force through Brexit.
Asked if he would be willing to do it, Raab says it is unlikely to happen would not be illegal.
Stewart says Raab will not take it off the table as he knows there there is no way of getting his Brexit deal unless he suspends parliament.
That’s “nonsense”, says Raab, who accuses his rival of misrepresenting him.
Jeremy Hunt says shutting parliament would be a "profound mistake" and "wrong" and Sajid Javid also ruled it out as undemocratic.
"We are not selecting a dictator of our democracy," Javid says.
Stewart also says proroguing parliament would be "undemocratic" and "strike at the heart of our constitution".
"They think they are threatening something but a threat is not credible unless it can be delivered," he adds, accusing his rival candidates of taking part in a "competition of machismo".
Next question from the audience: how can you seriously contemplate a no-deal Brexit?
Jeremy Hunt launches the first attack on Boris Johnson, who he says should be here to answer that question.
He says no-deal needs to stay on the table in case it turns out to be the only way of delivering Brexit. But he says he would only allow the UK to crash out of the EU "with a heavy heart".
Michael Gove says no one wants a no-deal Brexit, but he would always choose that option over remaining in the EU after the UK voted to leave.
Krishnan Guru-Murthy ask Michael Gove why the EU would be willing to renegotiate the withdrawal agreement for him as prime minister, when they would not for Theresa May.
Gove says he is used to overcoming "impossible odds", but doesn't really answer the question.
Would the candidates be happy to work with Nigel Farage to deliver Brexit?
Rory Stewart leaps at the opportunity to point out he offered to do just that on the Brexit Party leader's LBC radio programme earlier today.
Sajid Javid says he doesn't "underestimate" Nigel Farage but says delivering Brexit should be the job of the elected government, which the Brexit Party leader is "nowhere near".
Jeremy Hunt also the UK is a tolerant country and Farage is "not the answer", while Michael Gove says: "Brexit is not about one politician's ego trip, it's about bringing this country together."
"You don’t beat the Brexit Party by becoming the Brexit Party," adds Sajid Javid.
Next question from the audience: how would you united our divided country?
Javid agrees the country is too divided, speaking about his own experience of being attacked from the the far right and Islamist extremists.
He says his own background, which is "very different" from previous Tory leaders, makes him the right candidate to bring people together.
Raab says he wants a fairer society, not just a fairer economy".
He promises to cut taxes for the lowest paid, promote house-building, apprenticeships, and give people "a stake" in society.
Hunt says we must consider the young and abolish illiteracy, while Gove says many of those who voted for Brexit come from undervalued communities.
"There’s a treasure in the heart of every man and woman," Gove says.
Change UK leader leader Anna Soubry is not impressed with her former Conservative colleagues:
Raab says he wants to improve "the opportunities for young people" and increase state school standards, offer more choices for young apprenticeships for 14 to 16-year-olds, and create non-graduate routes into professions like law.
Hunt wants to "turbo-charge" the British economy and bolster the social care system.
Gove says children are the priority, particularly those growing up in poverty.
"We need to make sure they have the opportunities that all of us enjoyed," he adds, and says the government should "look at the way in which tuition fees are levied".
Stewart says there are 10,000 things he would like to do as PM, including preparing for technological change, but pressed on his first priority he goes for improving social care.
Javid says public services would be his priority, raising the eyebrows of Guru-Murthy, who suggests people might expect the home secretary to have answered tackling knife crime.
The presenter also notes none of the candidates mentioned climate change as their key concern.
The candidates are asked about their weaknesses.
Gove says his is impatience - he is "a man in a hurry" and wants to get things done.
Guru-Murthy brings up Gove's admission of drug-taking.
"Isn't your weakness hypocrisy?" the presenter asks the former justice secretary.
No, we all make mistakes and must ensure we learn from them, says Gove.
Hunt also steps in to defend him, saying he all did things 25 years ago we wouldn't want our parents to know about.
Raab's weakness is his restlessness for change, he says.
Guru-Murthy asks: What do you say to people who think your biggest weakness is thinking feminists are bigots?
Raab says he should not be judged by something he said a long time ago and which was taken out of context.
Stewart admits he has learned a lot about his weaknesses during his leadership campaign.
"Is it a weakness to change your mind? You seem to do it a lot," asks Guru-Murphy.
Stewart replies: "I think that’s part of the business of being frail. I think that’s part of the business of being human."
Javid says he is stubborn and it takes him too long to change his mind - citing the example of taking 10 years to agree to get a family dog.
Guru-Murthy asks: "Isn’t the problem that you are not a big enough figure? You weren’t a big enough figure to get invited to the Trump dinner."
Javid does not think that was why he was not invited, although he says he does not know the reason.
Both Hunt and Gove protest the question. Gove says it was "ridiculous", adding: "Saj does not need Donald Trump to tell him he is a big figure."
