The latest numbers are showing that Rishi Sunak has secured the backing of 45 Tory lawmakers, with Boris Johnson having 37 backers, and Penny Mordaunt with 16 backers. These are MPs who have made declarations publicly but it is being said that Johnson's allies are 'confident' he can secure the 100 backers needed to get his name on the ballot paper.
The three mentioned are the favourites in the race to replace Liz Truss, with candidates having until Monday 2pm local time to secure 100 nominations in order to contest the prime minister seat.
This is from The Telegraph:
Nadine Dorries, the former culture secretary who is backing Mr Johnson, said: “I am quite confident he will get the 100 signatures.”
Meanwhile, an anonymous Cabinet minister told Sky News that they would “expect” Mr Johnson to hit the 100 number while a supporter of the former premier told Tortoise: "We have the 100 to nominate."
