UK politics live: Huge boost to Cleverly’s Tory leadership bid after shock vote win as Tugendhat eliminated

Tom Tugendhat has been knocked out of the Tory leadership contest.

The former minister received 20 votes, placing him in last place and eliminating him from the contest.

James Cleverly came first with the backing of 39 MPs, Robert Jenrick got 31 and Kemi Badenoch had 30.

Kemi Badenoch is rallying supporters of Robert Jenrick to pivot their backing towards her campaign as the Tory leadership race narrows to three contenders.

A spokesperson for the shadow secretary said: “There are three candidates left in this contest, two are gaining votes and one is going backwards and losing support.

“The right of the Conservative Party now needs to coalesce around Kemi, who can reach across and unify the party, has the star quality to cut through in opposition, and is indisputably the members’ choice for leader.”

Meanwhile, Nigel Farage has taken to social media to announce that Reform UK’s membership has increased to 90,000.

The last time the party revealed the numbers, it stood at 85,000.

Chariman of the 1922 Committee of Tory MPs Bob Blackman will appear at 3.30pm to announce the result of the latest round of voting in the leadership contest.

Connor Naismith, Labour MP for Crewe and Nantwich, has criticised the Tories for their support of tax breaks for private education during the ongoing VAT discussion.

Speaking passionately in the Commons, Mr Naismith argued that the previous administration demonstrated a lack of change in their priorities.

He said: “(The Conservatives) have demonstrated perfectly well that nothing has changed and it’s business as usual as they choose to leap to the defence of tax breaks for private education.

“Only 7 per cent of children in the UK go to a private school, a smaller proportion than the most recent Conservative cabinet, of which it is believed that 65 per cent were privately educated. So, perhaps that tells us something about why we are debating this matter today.”

Tory members on the opposition benches responded by shouting – “look around you”.

MPs continue to debate Labour’s decision to scrap tax exemptions for private schools.

Alicia Kearns, Conservative MP for Rutland and Stamford, condemned Labour’s proposal to impose VAT on school fees, calling it “cruel and vindictive”.

Speaking in the House of Commons, she warned that the move would have dire consequences for rural economies, which rely heavily on the presence of independent schools.

She told members: “I have over 2,000 people locally who are employed directly by independent schools, let alone those working within the supply chain, whether it be buses, or food, or flowers, or cafes or shops, rural economies do not have that many options at the moment and independent schools are a bedrock for them.

“So, the economic impact of this (policy) should be considered within that impact assessment, which I very much doubt has been carried out.”

Downing Street has downplayed fears that potential changes to borrowing rules in the upcoming Budget could trigger a crisis like the chaotic premiership of Liz Truss.

The government insisted that it is committed to restoring economic stability, amid growing speculation that shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves plans to revamp fiscal policies.

With the Budget statement set to be released at the end of this month, investors are cautioning shadow chancellor Jeremy Hunt to “walk a tightrope” to avoid unsettling the markets and prompting a sell-off of government bonds.

In response to fears of a Truss-style chaos, a No 10 spokesperson said: “Obviously, I wouldn’t accept that characterisation.

“The government has made clear that one of the first steps of this government is to restore economic stability in the Budget. It will absolutely deliver on that, delivering on the robust fiscal rules that were set out in the manifesto.

“That includes moving the current Budget into balance, it includes debt falling as a share of the economy, and more broadly, as I say, the Budget will be about fixing the foundations of the economy, delivering stability, because it is only with economic stability that we will get the growth and investment that the economy needs.”

Another YouGov poll has revealed the popularity of the Conservative leadership candidates among the general public and Tory voters.

James Cleverly emerged as the frontrunner with 46 per cent of the support.

Tom Tugendhat follows with 35 per cent of the backing and just 14 per cent unfavourable, while Robert Jenrick garners 32 pre cent favourable.

In contrast, Kemi Badenoch sees a close split with 31 per cent favourability and 30 per cent of unfavourable.