Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt final two as MPs edge closer to Downing Street - as it happened

Good morning and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of the Tory leadership race, as the rivals compete to take on Boris Johnson.

Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove and Sajid Javid also remain in the contest, but two rounds on voting on Thursday will whittle down the field to a final pairing.

At each round the MP with the lowest total will be eliminated, with the result of the first round announced at 1pm and the final announcement due to be made at 6pm.

In yesterday's ballot, Mr Johnson received 143 votes, up from 126 on Tuesday, with Mr Hunt on 54, up from 46.

Mr Gove was in third place, up 10 from 41 to 51 votes, while Mr Javid picked up five extra votes to reach 38.

Rory Stewart was eliminated from the contest after his tally fell from 37 to 27.

Here's Benjamin Kentish with the full story:

Mr Stewart suggested there had been "shenanigans" in the run-up to the ballot, but after the result he told ITV's Peston: "I don't think it was dirty tricks by Boris.

"I think what happened is that somehow some combination of my message and momentum convinced the other camps to tighten up, so I think most of my votes will have gone to Michael Gove, Jeremy Hunt and some to Sajid."

Sources in Mr Johnson's camp played down a report in the Daily Telegraph that his supporters might lend their votes to Mr Javid in order to knock Mr Gove out of the contest.

Mr Gove's decision to stand for the leadership in 2016 effectively torpedoed Mr Johnson's campaign then and the wounds have not healed.

But Brexiteer MP Andrea Jenkyns, who is backing Mr Johnson, told ITV's Peston there would be "some poetic justice" if the bitter rivals were in the final run-off.

She said that although there were "tricks going on" in the contest, Mr Johnson's campaign was not to blame.

Mr Gove insisted "I do think I would be a better prime minister than Boris" but "he has formidable qualities and he is a big part of the Conservative Party's and the country's future".

While Mr Johnson has "communication skills aplenty", the environment secretary told LBC that "I believe that I would be better equipped than any of the other candidates" to take Jeremy Corbyn "to the cleaners" with a "forensic" examination of his policies.

Mr Stewart, who was knocked out in last night's vote, has said he will not declare his support for any of the remaining candidates.

"I will not be declaring for anyone today - but I will be voting," he tweeted.

Amid speculation that Mr Javid has his eyes on becoming Mr Johnson's chancellor, the home secretary insisted his sights were set on Number 10 and he was "in it to win it".

Mr Hunt said he was the person best-placed to take on Mr Johnson, promising to put his "heart and soul" into the contest.

"The stakes are too high to allow anyone to sail through untested," he said.

David Davis, the former Brexit secretary, defended Mr Johnson's championing as London mayor of the doomed Garden Bridge project which eventually collapsed despite £43m of public investment.

Mr Davis told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It's a single mistake. So what?

"I'm talking about a man who is going to make this economy, this country much bigger than it is.

"That's going to make that sum of money look tiny by comparison."

Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, said the UK's next prime minister needs to realise a no-deal Brexit would be bad for the country, telling the Today programme: "With a hard Brexit, even with a normal Brexit, the UK will be a different country.

"It will be a diminished country. It is unavoidable."

Mr Rutte made clear there could not be a transition period if a withdrawal agreement was not in place, telling the BBC: "As Boris Johnson would say, Brexit is Brexit.

"I would say a hard Brexit is a hard Brexit. I don't see how you can sweeten it."

Here's more from Ashley Cowburn:

Voting in the fourth ballot of the Tory leadership election has begun.

Ahead of a speech in which Philip Hammond, the chancellor, is set to warn of the dangers of leaving the EU without a deal, shadow chancellor John McDonnell tweeted: "When Boris Johnson's policies of a no deal Brexit and wild tax cuts to the rich make the architect of austerity, Philip Hammond, look like the voice of moderation you can see how far to the extreme and irresponsible right the Tory party has drifted."