TV debate CANCELLED after Rishi Sunak & Liz Truss pull out – as one PM contender faces the chop TONIGHT
TORY frontrunners Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss today pulled out of the next debate after tearing chunks out of each other last night.
As the race to be Britain's next PM became increasingly brutal, Sky chose to can its TV head-to-head due tomorrow evening.
Conservative MPs will vote for their favourite leadership contender late this afternoon, with the result of the ballot announced at 8pm tonight.
There are five MPs still in the race to be PM: Mr Sunak, Ms Truss, Penny Mordaunt, Kemi Badenoch and Tom Tugendhat.
Tonight the field will be whittled down to just four as the contender with the lowest votes gets the axe.
Tomorrow another ballot will take place narrowing the contest to three before the top two contenders are decided on Wednesday.
The hot favourite to win the leadership race so far is Mr Sunak.
The former Chancellor has the support of 100 MPs.
Ms Mordaunt has the next highest number of backers at 82.
TORY LEADERSHIP RACE - TIMETABLE
WEDNESDAY July 13
- 1.30-3.30pm: Tory MPs voted in person or by proxy in Parliament for their preferred candidate to be the next party leader.
- Around 5pm: The results of the first round were announced by 1922 chair Sir Graham Brady. Both Nadhim Zahawi and Jeremy Hunt crashed out after failing to reach the 30-vote threshold.
- Straight after: The remaining candidates fielded questions from Tory MPs at the 1922 hustings.
THURSDAY July 14
- Tory MPs voted in the second ballot as the candidate with the fewest votes was eliminated.
FRIDAY July 15
- The remaining candidates go head to head in the first TV debate live on Channel 4 at 7pm.
SUNDAY July 17
- They will then do battle again with a debate on ITV at 7pm.
MONDAY July 18 - The five remaining candidates are put before Tory MPs at the third ballot. One more will be eliminated.
TUESDAY July 19 - WEDNESDAY July 20
- Knockout ballots will happen daily until just two candidates are left standing on Wednesday.
FRIDAY July 22
- The final two candidates tour the country trying to win the votes of 100,000 or so ordinary party members who will decide the next PM.
MONDAY September 5
- The results of the vote is announced and Britain's next PM is revealed
As contenders get knocked out of the race, where their supporters go next will be crucial in determining who makes the top two.
Ms Truss is currently in third place with 66 MPs vying for her to be PM.
The Foreign Secretary, who has pitched herself as the race's Thatcherite candidate, will be hoping to win over as many of Ms Badenoch’s right wing backers as possible.
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Mr Sunak and Ms Mordaunt will hope to gain the support of Mr Tugendhat’s followers, as the backbench MP is unlikely to proceed much further in the race.
Last night all five remaining candidates knocked heads on live TV during the feisty.
Mr Sunak tore into Ms Truss for voting Remain in 2016 and for previously being a Lib Dem.
He cheekily asked her which of the two she most regrets.
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Ms Truss hit back at the former Chancellor saying that her state school did not provide the same educational standards as the exclusive Winchester College where Mr Sunak was a pupil.
Ms Mordaunt was savaged for her record on trans rights.
Ms Badenoch accused Mr Sunak of not adequately tackling Covid fraudsters who lied about the state of their business to get financial support from the government during the pandemic.
