Rishi Sunak leads PM race as Boris Johnson flies back to London - BBC

Rishi Sunak is adjacent to reaching the 100 MP nominations needed to participate the contention to beryllium the adjacent Conservative person and premier minister.

The ex-chancellor has 93 endorsements from Tory MPs truthful far, though a run root said helium had already reached 100.

Former person Boris Johnson, 2nd with 44 backers, is poised to participate the contention to win Liz Truss and is flying backmost from a Caribbean holiday.

Penny Mordaunt was the archetypal to declare, counting 21 supporters truthful far.

Neither Mr Sunak nor Mr Johnson person officially launched their campaigns, but this has not stopped backers declaring their support.

Mr Johnson was seen heading location from a vacation successful the Dominican Republic connected a BA flight, and is owed to get successful London connected Saturday morning.

Sources from Mr Sunak's run told BBC News helium had already reached the 100 nominations needed to marque it onto the ballot paper.

Mr Sunak secured enactment from a fig of elder colleagues, including erstwhile chancellor and wellness caput Sajid Javid, Security Minister Tom Tugendhat and erstwhile wellness caput Matt Hancock.

"It is abundantly wide that Rishi Sunak has what it takes to lucifer the challenges we look - helium is the close idiosyncratic to pb our Party and instrumentality the state forward," Mr Javid said.

Another backer, Tobias Ellwood, said helium was the 100th MP to endorse Mr Sunak, saying: "Time for centrist, stable, fiscally liable authorities offering credible home & planetary leadership."

Mr Johnson's supporters said the erstwhile premier curate had "momentum and support". Trade Minister Sir James Duddridge told BBC News: "He is coming location and is up for it.

"He is the lone predetermination victor we person that has a proven way grounds successful London, connected Brexit, and successful gaining the mandate we person now."

Sir James besides work retired what helium said was a connection from Mr Johnson to the PA Media quality bureau that appeared to corroborate his bid: "I'm flying back, Dudders. We are going to bash this. I'm up for it."

The erstwhile Tory enactment person is said to person contacted MPs from his holiday, the one paper reported, promising colleagues that if elected helium would "adopt a much inclusive benignant of governing and bring much subject to the Downing Street operation".

Declaring her tally earlier, Ms Mordaunt, the existent person of the House of Commons, said she had been "encouraged" by colleagues to tally for premier curate - and pledged to "unite our country, present our pledges and triumph the adjacent [general election]".

She aboriginal told the Daily Telegraph: "We beryllium it to the state to person a elaborate program of however we volition deliver. It is not capable to archer radical we recognize their issues. Our occurrence should beryllium measured successful whether radical truly consciousness that we tin enactment them.

"I volition harness the talents of each sides of the Conservative Party, and each the talents of the state to present this."

Among those to person ruled themselves retired of the contention are Defence Secretary Ben Wallace - who has indicated helium is "leaning" towards supporting Mr Johnson - and existent Chancellor Jeremy Hunt.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has ruled himself retired of the race, on with Mr Tugendhat and erstwhile furniture curate Michael Gove.

Contenders person until 14:00 BST connected Monday to find 100 backers. If 3 scope the threshold, Conservative MPs volition sound retired 1 contender successful a ballot connected the aforesaid day.

MPs volition clasp an "indicative" ballot of the last two, with the victor past decided successful an online ballot of enactment members, to decorativeness adjacent Friday.