Rishi Sunak remains frontrunner as fight for second place intensifies

Rishi Sunak (Jonathan Hordle/ITV)

Rishi Sunak’s place in the final two of the Tory leadership race looked increasingly secure on Monday, with Penny Mordaunt still clinging on to second place as the contest intensifies.

On one of the hottest days in British history, the race to replace Boris Johnson heated up as Ms Mordaunt fended off a challenge by Liz Truss, receiving 82 votes to the Foreign Secretary’s 71 in the third ballot of Tory MPs.