IT HAS been just over a week since Boris Johnson was forced to resign, triggering a Tory leadership election while he clings to power as a "caretaker" Prime Minister.
We've had two rounds of voting amongst Tory MPs, a gaffe-filled ConservativeHome hustings and the first televised debate taking place on Channel 4 on Friday night.
It has been a fast week in politics, with the list of candidates cut from 11 to five The National have pulled together a round up on all you need to know so far.
Who is still standing in the Tory leadership contest and who is winning?
THERE were 11 contenders for Tory party leader in the immediate aftermath of Johnson's resignation.
Former health secretary Sajid Javid and foreign office minister Rehman Chishti removed themselves from the contest in the last hour before nominations closed on Tuesday July 12, earlier that morning Transport Secretary Grant Shapps dropped his own bid to join Sunak's team.
Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi and Jeremy Hunt were knocked out of the first round of voting on Wednesday as they did not reach the 30 vote threshold required to move on to the next stage. Attorney General Suella Braverman was the next go on Thursday.
The five remaining candidates are: Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt, Liz Truss, Kemi Badenoch and Tom Tugendhat.
How popular are the contenders among Tory party members?
WHILE Sunak is the front runner amongst MPs, Moradunt comes out on top amongst the membership, as the above graph using YouGov data shows.
Even relative unknown Badenoch fairs better than the former chancellor, who sits on an even keel with Truss. Tugendhat is the lowest on the list, and returned the same percetage of support as those who didn't know who they preferred to be the next leader.
Could being a former Johnson cabinet member backfire for Sunak and Truss?
BLOG ConservativeHome release monthly cabinet rankings amongst Tory members - and both Sunak and Truss have been on a popularity decline alongside their former boss Johnson in 2022.
For this, we've compared against Tory member favourite defence secretary Ben Wallace, who decided not to run in the race, and Johnson, who has sunk back into negative figures in May and June.
Figures for Mordaunt, Badenoch and Tugendhat are not available as they were not members of Johnson's cabinet, which may play in their favour.
Who is the favourite contender amongst Scottish Tories?
MORDAUNT tops the poll of Tory voters in England, Scotland and Wales, with Badenoch in second place. Borders Tory MP John Lamont backed Mordaunt early on and said it was because she is "strong on the Union".
North East MP Andrew Bowie has backed Sunak, who comes out third in this YouGov poll. Hunt, who is no longer a contender, was a more popular option for Scottish Tories than either Truss or Tugendhat.
How do the public view the Tory leadership contenders?
SUNAK has the highest favourability rating amongst fellow leadership contenders, but also has the highest unfavourable rating. His role as chancellor during the covid pandemic, heading the furlough scheme and being the face of Eat Out to Help Out have clearly made him the most identifiable candidate.
Fellow cabinet members Truss and Zahawi are the next two unfavourable choices, with those who were not in Johnson’s cabinet dominated by “don’t know’s”. There was no data available on the favourability of Badenoch in the YouGov survey.
