The five surviving Tory leader hopefuls will cross swords for the first time tomorrow in a TV debate as the bookies’ favourite Penny Mordaunt came under withering attack designed to hobble her upstart campaign.
Channel 4 is hosting the first showdown for the prospective PMs after MPs voted in the second round of the contest – with former Chancellor Rishi Sunak coming top with 101 votes and Ms Mordaunt coming in second with 83 – adding 16 to her previous tally.
After another frenzied day at Westminster in which she pleaded for right-wingers to back her, Liz Truss was still well behind on 64, up 14, while Kemi Badenoch received 49, up nine.
Ms Mordaunt immediately came under attack from Suella Braverman, the rightwinger who was eliminated after finishing last in this afternoon’s vote by Tory MPs. The Attorney General made it clear she would not back Ms Mordaunt because of previous remarks on trans rights, and instead threw her weight behind Ms Truss.
Sources close to Ms Braverman…
