JAMES CLEVERLY has crashed out of the Tory leadership contest - pitting Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick in a battle for the crown.
A shock final vote of Conservative MPs saw Mr Cleverly plummet from the top spot to last place in the space of 24 hours.Ms Badenoch shot from 30 to 42, with Mr Jenrick just behind on 41 having gone up from 31.Grassroots faveourite Ms Badenoch is now the bookies' favourite, with Coral putting her odds-on at 4-7.
The Shadow Communities Secretary went into the final 24 hours of campaigning insisting the members' deserve that chance to vote for her.Another top Tory OUT of leadership race - as fight for top 2 spots heats up Today's results sparked speculation either of vote-lending that had back-fired, or of wider skullduggery in yesterday's ballot that inflated his vote.
After yesterday's ballot - which knocked out Tom Tugendhat - Mr Jenrick and Ms Badenoch were virtually neck and neck, on 31 and 30 votes respectively. It sparked a last-gasp push for supporters, with both claiming to be the best standard-bearer of the Tory right against Mr Cleverly.Fourth round of Tory MP voting to eliminate one candidate. The final two go to a vote of the wider party membership.
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