Sunak is in a candidate field that has been reduced to eight, with Tory MPs today having their first chance to vote for those vying to replace Boris Johnson.
Any contender who fails to win 30 votes will be disabled this afternoon, with a second vote tomorrow. By the end of next week, the list will be reduced to two candidates.
Members of the Conservative Party will then vote after a summer of campaigning, with the winner – the next prime minister – being announced on September 5.
See the latest Tory leadership opportunities with our live tracker and receive a lunch update on WhatsApp for tonight’s front page.
Police ‘to PC’ to stop Asian child abuse ring
More than a thousand girls were sexually assaulted by gangs of Asian men in Telford, while police dropped items like a “hot potato” over fears of escalating racial tensions, a report finds.
For at least 30 years, abusers ‘prospered’ in the town of Shropshire, while their heinous crimes went unchecked by authorities more concerned with political correctness.
An investigation accused those charged with protecting children of repeatedly “ignoring obvious signs of child sexual exploitation”.
A survivor waived her right to anonymity to talk to The Telegraph about her ordeal, as a crime correspondent Martin Evans reports on how vulnerable children were “brainwashed”†
The Trauma Hidden Under Mo Farah’s Revelations
The revelation that Britain’s greatest athlete was ever built on a fabrication shocked the sporting world.
As Sir Mo Farah reveals in a new BBC documentary showing tonight that he was allegedly smuggled into Britain from his home in Somaliland, Jim White has thought about his encounters with the runner.
Looking back on the times he met him, he says that something always seemed to happen behind Sir Mo’s eyes. Why was he only telling the truth now?
Jim explores the trauma beneath his revelations – and how they reconciled him to his past.
Daily dose of Matt
In today’s cartoon† Mat finds humor in the heat wave – while cartoonist Fan mocking the official heat warnings†
Also in the news: Other headlines from today
Heat wave † Britons are warned of disruption as temperatures appear to reach a dangerously high peak in the coming days. Forecasters think there is a 30 per cent chance the mercury could surpass the UK’s record 38.7C, set in 2019 in Cambridge, over the weekend and next week. An “orange” warning of extreme heat applies to much of England and Wales on Sunday and Monday. health editor Laura Donnelly explains the impact on the NHS† Difficulty sleeping? This one eight tips keep you cool†
Around the world: Putin uses prisoners to bolster army
Vladimir Putin recruits soldiers from prisons and the poorest parts of Russia as the Kremlin struggles to keep its army afloat after suffering tens of thousands of casualties in Ukraine. Western officials believe the regime is not confident it has the support for mass mobilization in Russia’s largest cities and is instead resorting to increasingly desperate measures to prevent a population collapse. Tom Rees reports how the army is recruit among the most impoverished Russians†