from Truss received support from the Tory immediately afterwards Suella Braverman was eliminated from an increasingly bitter leadership race in which Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt strengthen their position as frontrunners.
Mr Sunak, the former chancellor, came out on top in Thursday’s vote, with Ms Mordaunt in second place, who suffered from rival camp attacks as she gained the most momentum.
Mrs. Braverman, the Attorney General, fared worst in the second round and was eliminated to leave five contenders. It was clear that she will support Ms. Truss, as the right wing of the party wants to support a single candidate.
Bringing the voice of the influential Tory Steve Baker with her, it was a blow to Kemi Badenochwho is seen as the other right-wing hope of keeping Mr. Sunak or Mrs. Mordaunt out of number 10.
Sources close to Ms. Braverman told the PA news agency that she made the decision after talks with Ms. Truss.
Mr Sunak received 101 votes, Ms Mordaunt 83, Ms Truss 64, Ms Badenoch 49 and Tom Tugendhat 32.
Mrs. Braverman had 27 votes, five less than in Wednesday’s first round, despite the smaller field on Thursday.
Mr Baker, who had supported Ms Braverman, told PA: “Suella has my full loyalty. I will support what she has decided.”
Mr Tugendhat also dropped five votes but insisted he would not leave the race as the remaining contenders move on to a round of televised debates.
“I’ve never turned down a challenge because the odds were against me. I’m not going to start now,” said the senior backbencher.
Ms Mordaunt received the most votes, making 16 of Wednesday’s total.
Mr Sunak won 13 additional votes and is approaching the 120 votes needed to guarantee a place among the final two, which will be voted on by Tory members to decide the next party leader and prime minister.
Ms Truss, who gave a campaign speech earlier on Thursday, received 14 votes but hopes she can serve as a standard-bearer for the right of the party, picking up supporters not only from Ms Braverman, but also from Ms Badenoch, who, under pressure state allies of the Secretary of State to withdraw from the competition.
Culture Minister Nadine Dorries, a supporter of Truss, said: “Now is the time for all of us to unite behind a candidate who actually has the ability to lead the country as Prime Minister.”
Ms Badenoch said she is “disappointed” that Ms Braverman did not support her, suggesting that a future cabinet job offer could have been behind the decision.
“I know people want to support the person they think is most likely to give them a job, or who’s been there the longest, that’s the easiest thing to do, the hardest thing to take a risk and try something different,” she told LBC radio.
Ms Braverman previously dismissed Ms Mordaunt for criticism, accusing her of failing to stand up for women in her apparent support for trans rights issues and of not being an “authentic Brexiteer”.
“My perception of Penny is that she has a different view of me when it comes to gender ideology and the position of trans, for example I think she said that a trans woman is a woman, I disagree,” she told BBC Radio 4’s PM programme.
The attack was the latest in a match that turned increasingly violent on Thursday, with allies of Ms Truss seizing comments by former Brexit minister Lord Frost about Ms Mordaunt’s jurisdiction.
“She was my deputy – fictional, more than real – in the Brexit talks last year,” he told TalkTV.
“I had the feeling that she had not mastered the details needed in the negotiations last year. She wouldn’t always deliver hard messages to the European Union when needed.
“She wasn’t fully responsible, she wasn’t always visible. Sometimes I didn’t even know where she was. This became such a problem that after six months I had to ask the Prime Minister to move her and find someone else to support me.”
Mrs. Mordaunt’s allies said she had “nothing but respect” for Lord Frost, despite his scathing attack on her.
A source in the Mordaunt campaign said: “Penny will always fight for Brexit and always has.”
The former minister’s comments were highlighted by the Truss campaign, with Simon Clarke, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, saying: “Lord Frost’s warning is really serious. Conservatives – and more importantly our country – need a leader who is tested and ready.”
Mr Clarke told Sky News: “It is telling, I think, where the current members of government are giving their support.
“That is reflected in the decisions of some very senior ministers about who to support in this race – they do not support Ms Mordaunt.”
Former cabinet minister David Davis, a supporter of Ms Mordaunt, criticized the ‘black ops’ directed against her.
“I wouldn’t describe it as friendly fire,” he said. “It’s definitely clockwork — you get to the point where someone moves forward and seems to be the real challenger and then the black-op kicks in, the incoming fire kicks in.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Sunak insisted that his wealth and background in international finance did not stop him from understanding the plight of heavily pressured households.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I don’t judge people by their bank accounts, I judge them by their character, and I think people can judge me by my actions over the years.”
Mr Sunak defended his economic plan, which would not include immediate tax cuts promised by his rivals.
“I will cut taxes in this House, but I’m going to do it responsibly,” he said.
Channel 4 said all five candidates have confirmed they will take part in Friday night’s debate, with further televised clashes scheduled for Sunday and Tuesday.
The next round of voting is scheduled for Monday, with further rounds as necessary until two candidates remain, who will then battle it out over the summer to win the support of Conservative members. Their choice for the next prime minister will be announced on September 5.
Boris Johnson will then formally tender his resignation to the Queen to make way for his successor the following day.