Tory leadership election: Who has the most backers? Live updates
The Express will be keeping track as the Tory leadership race officially begins and MPs begin declaring their allegiances.
The starting gun for the Tory leadership race was officially fired on Wednesday as nominations to replace Rishi Sunak opened at 7pm.
The election will now begin heating up in earnest just as parliament goes into its summer recess, and candidates to take the crown will compete through August and September before heading into the party’s conference for a mass membership husting.
MPs are already declaring their loyalties, though only a small number have publicly said who they’re backing so far.
Nominations will close at 2.30pm on July 29, when we will know who has secured the crucial 10 supporters required to make the run-off stages.
Tory MPs will then narrow down the field to four, who will then make their case to the party’s membership from September 29 to October 2.
After MPs decided who will make the final two, members will then vote on Mr Sunak’s replacement and decide who is the fourth Conservative Party leader in two years.
The result will be announced on November 2, with Mr Sunak staying on until the moment his successor is picked.
There are 131 MPs, but just 2% have declared who they’re supporting so far.
Don't miss...
James Cleverly rules out Reform merger while sharing claim about Tories [LATEST]
Robert Jenrick breaks through as Tory leadership frontrunner as race timeline [POLITICS]
Dame Priti Patel set to enter race to become next Conservative Party leader [TORIES]
Among the declared candidates, James Cleverly, Priti Patel and Robert Jenrick, Tom Tugendhat and Mel Stride and Kemi Badenoch have all secured public support among MPs.
Despit being expected to stand, former Home Secretary Suella Braverman dropped out of the race on Sunday 28, claiming the insults levelled against her by her own party meant she no longer wanted to lead the Tories.
The Express will track each public declaration below as they are announced.
James Cleverly: 4 backers
- Peter Fortune (Bromley and Biggin Hill)
- Simon Hoare (North Dorset)
- Gagan Mohindra (South West Hertfordshire)
- Charlie Dewhirst (Bridlington and The Wolds)
Kemi Badenoch: 5 backers
- Julia Lopez (Hornchurch and Upminster)
- Alex Burghart (Brentwood and Ongar)
- Andrew Griffith (Arundel and South Downs)
- Andrew Bowie (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
- Jesse Norman (Hereford and South Herefordshire)
Mel Stride: 5 backers
- Mark Garnier (Wyre Forest)
- George Freeman (Mid Norfolk)
- Desmond Swayne (New Forest West)
- Jerome Mayhew (Broadland and Fakenham)
- David Reed (Exmouth & Exeter East)
Priti Patel: 4 backers
- Sir Alec Shelbrooke (Wetherby and Easingwold)
- Greg Smith (Mid Buckinghamshire)
- Andrew Snowden (Fylde)
- Saqib Bhatti (Meriden and Solihull East)
Robert Jenrick: 6 backers
- Danny Kruger (East Wiltshire)
- Caroline Johnson (Sleaford and North Hykeham)
- Edward Leigh (Gainsborough)
- Mark Pritchard (The Wrekin)
- Esther McVey (Wirral West)
- Jack Rankin (Windsor)
Tom Tugendhat: 5 backers
- Patrick Spencer (Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
- Nick Timothy (West Suffolk)
- Karen Bradley (Staffordshire Moorlands)
- Neil Shastri-Hurst (Solihull West & Shirley)
- James Wild (North West Norfolk)
