The results are in and the list of wannabe prime ministers has been whittled down to five MPs:

• Rishi Sunak: 101 (+13; +14.8%)
• Penny Mordaunt: 83 (+16; +24%)
• Liz Truss: 64 (+14; +28%)
• Kemi Badenoch: 49 (+9; +23%)
• Tom Tugendhat: 32 (-5;  -14%).

Suella Braverman has been eliminated from the contest with 27 votes (-5; -16%). Earlier she refused to stand aside for Liz Truss or Kemi Badenoch to concentrate support for the right wing of the party.

Penny Mordant has made the biggest gains and looks in reach of matching or overtaking Rishi Sunak. Liz Truss still lags and Tom Tugendhat looks close to elimination in the next round of voting on Monday.

The five still standing

Kemi Badenoch is a former levelling up and equalities minister. Very much on the right of the Conservative Party, she pledges lower taxes and tight controls on spending to boost the economy. She is a champion of the campaign against woke. On the environment, she if thought be green leaning but will look again at net zero targets.

Penny Mordaunt is a champion of style over substance, echoes of the retiring prime minister there. With a military background, her strongest line has been: “Our leadership has to change. It needs to become a little less about the leader and a lot more about the ship.” She is understood to support net zero and climate action. She has publicly supported trans rights but has softened her commitment in recent days under media pressure.

Rishi Sunak emphasises fiscal prudence now with tax cuts later. He has been reluctant to spend on tackling the climate crisis. Says he is committed to protecting women’s rights from “gender-neutral language”.

Liz Truss has pledged to reverse the national insurance increase and the proposed rise in corporation tax. She has an uneven record on tackling the climate crisis, leaving climate commitments out of trade deals while in other contexts saying tackling climate change is important. “Temporary” moratorium on green energy levy. Against people having the right to self-identify their gender. And as the Express reports today, quoting LDV, she was a former Lib Dem.

Tom Tugendhat promises a relentless focus on the cost of living crisis, including reversing the national insurance rise. Says taxes are too high and fuel duty should be cut. Reduce reliance on energy imports. Commit to 3% on defence. He is apparently not pulling out:

Doesn’t sound as if Tom Tugendhat is dropping out. Spokesperson: “Tom is in it to win it. He can’t wait to set out his positive vision for Britain and offer the party, and more importantly the country, the clean start we need.”

— Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) July 14, 2022

* Andy Boddington is a Lib Dem councillor in Shropshire. He blogs at andybodders.co.uk.