Ory MPs will have the chance to vote for the eight contenders vying to replace Boris Johnsonas the mood begins to find its successor.
Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss† Tom TugendhatKemi Badenoch, Penny Mordaunt, Jeremy Hunt† Nadhim Zahawi and Suella Braverman will all be on the ballot on Wednesday, after all, they secured the 20 nominations from fellow MPs needed to enter the contest.
Yesterday saw the field dwindle, with some high-profile causalities as the race to become conservative leader intensifies.
Former health minister Sajid Javid said he withdrew because he had apparently not received enough support, just before the 1922 committee chair, Sir Graham Brady, made the formal announcement in a committee room of the House of Commons.
Earlier, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced that he would withdraw his offer and back Mr Sunak, the former Chancellor.
Backbencher Rehman Chishti – seen as the outsider – also said he dropped out because he didn’t get enough nominations.
The remaining candidates were roasted by fellow MPs in two series of hustings on Wednesday evening, organized by the Center for Social Justice and Common Sense Group of Conservatives.
Meanwhile, Ms Truss, the Secretary of State, got the approval of prominent Johnson loyalists Jacob Rees-Mogg, Nadine Dorries and James Cleverly, in what was seen as a concerted action to prevent Mr Sunak from entering Number 10.
Many supporters of the prime minister remain outraged at Mr Sunak for the role he played in bringing him down, and his decision to step down last week has led to another string of resignations.
The Secretary of State’s campaign also received a possible boost with the announcement by Home Secretary Priti Patel, a fellow right-wing wing, that she would not stand, giving Ms Truss a clearer chance.
Ms Dorries accused Mr Sunak’s team of “dirty tricks” after claiming that one of his supporters – ex-whip chief Gavin Williamson – had tried to “transfer votes” for Mr Hunt so he could make the final with Mr Sunak.
The claim was denied by Mr Hunt, who told LBC radio it was a “very dangerous game to play”.
Supporters of Mr Hunt believe he will be able to collect the required minimum of 30 votes in the first ballot later on Wednesday.
Allies of Mr Sunak also responded to Ms Dorries’ claim, calling it “complete nonsense” that it was “spread by anti-Rishi people”.
Instead, Sunak will try to polish his economic credentials on Wednesday by using an interview with the Daily Telegraph to compare himself to Margaret Thatcher.
It comes amid an increasingly bitter battle of words as allies of Mr Johnson have attacked Mr Sunak, branding him a “high tax chancellor” who had failed to notice the warning signs that inflation was on the rise.
Johnson loyalist and cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg launched a wide-ranging campaign against Mr Sunak’s economic policies in a Daily Mail article, accusing him of raising taxes to “socialist” levels.
Mr Rees-Mogg, who supports Liz Truss, wrote: “Sunak has wasted the Conservative Party’s decade-long effort to build a competitive tax regime and it will be the French and Americans who will benefit, rather than of the British people.”
Mr Sunak told the Telegraph in the interview: “We will cut taxes and we will do it responsibly. That’s my economic approach. I would describe it as common sense Thatcherism. I believe she would have.”
It comes after a poll for Channel 4 News revealed that Mr Sunak is the preferred candidate to take over the Tory party among Conservative members, with 28% wanting him in the final vote.
Aside from the Tory leadership race, the government has also sparked a spat with Labor after the opposition party accused Johnson’s team of “running away in fear” after it denied parliamentary time for a no-confidence vote in the House of Commons.
Labor called it “unprecedented” that ministers are not allowing parliamentary time for a confidence vote.
But a government spokesman hit back, accusing Labor of “playing politics” by filing a no-confidence vote against the government and the prime minister after Mr Johnson had already resigned.
It remains unclear what the next steps are for Labour, as the Scottish National Party has reportedly told Sir Keir Starmer that if Labor does not request an urgent debate, the SNP will.
Thangam Debbonaire has said Labor is considering all options.
The shadow leader of the House of Commons told BBC Newsnight: “I am not going to reveal all of our tactics. There are several other things we could try and at the moment we are considering all of them.”
Former equality minister, Ms Badenoch, launched her offer on Tuesday, vowing not to engage in a “bid war” with tax cuts and claiming others had tried to “take your pie and eat it”.
Mr Tugendhat, the chairman of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, also pledged to cut the fuel tax by 10 pence when he started his campaign, dismissing criticism from rivals over his lack of ministerial experience.
He also tried to highlight his defense credentials, promising to spend 3% of GDP on defense as part of a 10-year economic plan.
Mr Zahawi, the Chancellor, brushed aside a rebuke from Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey for making tax proposals during the campaign, saying he was putting out his stall to become Prime Minister and that his plans were “fully budgeted.” ” goods.
Zahawi criticized his predecessor’s hesitation, stressing that it is not a “fairy tale” to cut taxes to ease the cost of living crisis.
The current chancellor also used an appearance in front of Conservative MPs to show his strong support for the family – something he said had gone out of fashion.
Under the rules set by Sir Graham, candidates who fail to get 30 votes on the first ballot will be eliminated, and a second ballot is expected on Thursday.
The process will then likely continue until next week, with the candidate with the fewest votes dropping out, until the list of candidates is reduced to just two.
They will be in the summer recess to win the support of the Tory membership, who will eventually elect the next prime minister, with the final result on September 5.