Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi and former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt have not received enough votes to advance in the Conservative Party’s ongoing leadership race. Six candidates remain in contention, with Rishi Sunak leading the field.
Tory MPs held their first round of voting to elect a new leader on Wednesday, with Sir Graham Brady of the Conservative 1922 Committee announcing the results in the afternoon.
Zahawi and Hunt secured just 25 and 18 votes, respectively, placing them in the last two places among the eight candidates, thus ending their hopes of becoming prime minister.
Currently serving as chancellor of the Exchequer since a cabinet reshuffle earlier this month, Zahawi had promised to slash taxes and lower energy bills if made PM. Hunt, who ran for leadership of the party in 2019 but finished second to Boris Johnson, had served as foreign secretary between 2018 and 2019. He had promised similar tax cuts, while both men also promised to hike military spending.