Rishi Sunak is on course to be named as the next Prime Minister as early as today after Boris Johnson bottled his leadership bid.
The former Chancellor has secured the backing of more than half of all 357 Conservative MPs as declarations ticked up to 180 with only hours left until the 2pm nomination deadline.
Rival Penny Mordaunt has refused to bow out and is scrambling to hit the 100-MP threshold to get onto the ballot paper, with fewer than 30 publicly declared backers.
