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The Telegraph
The Telegraph
National
Mason Boycott-Owen

Who's backing whom in the Conservative leadership race?

who is backing whom tory leadership race replace boris johnson next prime minister rishi sunak liz truss penny mordaunt
who is backing whom tory leadership race replace boris johnson next prime minister rishi sunak liz truss penny mordaunt

The battle to become the next leader of the Conservative Party - and Britain's next prime minister - is firmly under way, with the candidates and their supporters jostling hard for the position.

The majority of the 347 Tory MPs who are not taking part in the contest have now nailed their colours to the mast.

There are now six candidates remaining. Jeremy Hunt and Nadhim Zahawi were eliminated on Wednesday after failing to secure at least 30 votes each in the first-round vote by Tory MPs. This process will be repeated until there are just two candidates left. 

Rishi Sunak, the former chancellor whose departure last week hastened the fall of Boris Johnson, is leading the pack with 88 backers. He is followed by Penny Mordaunt, the international trade minister, and Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary.

As more candidates are eliminated, we can expect lots of 'horse-trading' behind the scenes, with more socially liberal 'one nation' MPs and the Right of the party likely to unite behind respective candidates.

Here, The Telegraph takes a look at who is running, their campaign platforms, and their publicly declared backers:

Rishi Sunak - 88 backers

Why he is running: The former chancellor is pitching himself to the party and members as the serious candidate on the economy, who can guide the country through a potential recession by resisting calls for tax cuts. 

MPs publicly supporting him: Jeremy Hunt, Angela Richardson, Mark Harper, Jacob Young, Laura Trott, Sir Bob Neill, Mel Stride, Oliver Dowden, Paul Maynard, Liam Fox, John Glen, Mark Spencer, Claire Coutinho, Kevin Hollinrake, Robert Jenrick, Julie Marson, Bim Afolami, Louie French, Simon Jupp, Simon Hoare, Helen Whatley, Maria Caulfield, Fay Jones, Peter Gibson, Craig Williams, Robert Goodwill, James Cartlidge, Gareth Davies, Siobhan Bailie, Simon Hart, Rebecca Pow, Anthony Browne, Ruth Edwards, Greg Hands, Andrew Murrison, Gary Streeter, Laura Farris, Andrew Bowie, Alex Chalk, Victoria Prentis, Dominic Raab, Grant Shapps, Gillian Keegan, James Wild, Matt Hancock, Mark Menzies, Steve Barclay, Chris Skidmore, Stephen Crabb, Alun Cairns, Michael Ellis, Lucy Frazer, Gavin Williamson, Simon Baynes, Theresa Villiers

Odds: 7/2

Penny Mordaunt - 67 backers

Why she is running: Launching her campaign, the trade minister released a video in which she did not feature. She is seeking to put herself forward as a unity candidate who casts aside the drama of personality politics to focus on patriotic government.

MPs publicly backing her: Nicola Richards, Caroline Dineage, John Lamont, Michael Fabricant, Andrea Leadsom, Kieran Mullan, Alicia Kearns, George Freeman, James Sunderland, Duncan Baker, Caroline Ansell, Sir Charles Walker, Craig Tracey, Damian Collins, Harriet Baldwin, James Gray, Elliot Colburn, Robbie Moore, Derek Thomas, Maria Miller, Theo Clarke, Sarah Atherton, Bob Seely, Kate Griffiths, David Davis, James Davies, Bob Stewart, Alberto Costa, John Penrose, John Baron, Jerome Mayhew, Caroline Nokes, Trudy Harrison, Luke Evans, Jill Mortimer, Mike Penning

Odds: 4/6

Liz Truss - 50 backers

Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, officially launched her campaign on Sunday night - Jamie Lorriman
Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, officially launched her campaign on Sunday night - Jamie Lorriman

Why she is running: Viewed as the Right’s main challenger to Rishi Sunak, Ms Truss is marketing herself as a Thatcherite who promises tax cuts, foreign policy experience, and a track record of delivery.

She is expected to hoover up support on the centre Right, but her initial Remain credentials could put off some Brexiteers.

MPs publicly backing her: Alec Shelbrooke, Chloe Smith, Dehenna Davison, Jackie Doyle-Price, Julian Knight, Rob Butler, Dean Russell, Marcus Fysh, Darren Henry, Ranil Jayawardena, Simon Clarke, Therese Coffey, Kwasi Kwarteng, Wendy Morton, Vicky Ford, James Cleverly, Nadine Dorries, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Mark Pritchard, Paul Bristow, Brendan Clarke-Smith, Mark Francois, Iain Duncan Smith, Chris Loder, Laurence Robertson, Andrea Jenykns

Odds: 4/1

Tom Tugendhat - 40 backers

Tom Tugendhat speaking to the media outside the Houses of Parliament - Henry Nicholls/Reuters
Tom Tugendhat speaking to the media outside the Houses of Parliament - Henry Nicholls/Reuters

Why he is running: The chairman of the foreign affairs committee is casting himself as a new face, with military experience, to unite the party. He is seeking to gain the support of the One Nation group of Tory MPs, which is led by his first backer, Damian Green.

MPs publicly backing him: Damian Green, John Stevenson, Caroline Nokes, Aaron Bell, Robert Largan, Stephen Hammond, Sir Robert Syms, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Mark Logan, Chris Green, Anne Marie Morris, Nickie Aiken, Damian Moore, Karen Bradley, Paul Holmes, Jake Berry, Mark Pawsey, James Daly, Neil Hudson, Jo Gideon, Ben Spencer, Simon Fell, Rehman Chishti

Odds: 33/1

Kemi Badenoch - 37 backers

Kemi Badenoch, who has no Cabinet experience but has worked as a minister across Government - Jeff Gilbert
Kemi Badenoch, who has no Cabinet experience but has worked as a minister across Government - Jeff Gilbert

Why she is running: The former equalities minister is campaigning on an anti-woke and small state platform, based on a desire to speak honestly to the public. She is billing herself as a next generation Tory and has won the support of some of the newest intake of MPs, but her lack of any Cabinet experience may hinder her success.

MPs publicly backing her: Lee Rowley, Eddie Hughes, Julia Lopez, Tom Hunt, Lee Anderson, Ben Bradley, Michael Gove, Justin Tomlinson, Gareth Bacon, Caroline Johnson, Andrew Lewer, Neil O'Brien, Lee Docherty, Alex Burghart, Nigel Mills, Lucy Allen, Marco Longhi, Sarah Dines, Rachel Maclean, Robert Courts, Tom Randall, Nick Fletcher, Steve Double

Odds: 16/1

Suella Braverman - 32 backers

Why she is running: The Attorney General is currently the main candidate of the Brexiteer right of the party. She was the first to declare, with anti-woke, low-tax, anti-EU policies and has been backed by the influential backbencher Steve Baker. She will have to contend with more experienced contenders in the field.

MPs publicly backing her: Sir Desmond Swayne, Jason McCartney, Steve Baker, John Hayes, Julian Lewis, Robin Millar, Henry Smith, Richard Drax, Philip Hollobone, Danny Kruger, David Jones, Miriam Cates, Christopher Chope, Greg Smith, Bernard Jenkin

Odds: 100/1

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