Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt has been knocked out of the race to become the next Conservative leader and Prime Minister.

This was Hunt's second bid to become Prime Minister after contesting the leadership in 2019, losing to eventual PM Boris Johnson.

Current Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi, the former vaccines minister, also failed to get the required backing from 30 fellow MPs.

Hunt, currently chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee, was Secretary of State for Health and Social Care for almost six years from 2012 to 2018 under David Cameron and Theresa May.

Hunt said: "Politics is about momentum, I'm afraid I didn't have it this time."

He now backs former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, whom he believes is someone of "formidable ability who has been thinking about the right thing to do for our economy, for families up and down the country, very hard over the last two years".

Five candidates to become Prime Minister remain, with Sunak and (currently) Minister of State for Trade Policy Penny Mordaunt installed as favourites.

Rishi Sunak – 88 votes in first round

Penny Mordaunt – 67 votes in first round

Liz Truss - 50 votes in first round

Kemi Badenoch – 40 votes in first round

Tom Tugendhat – 37 votes in first round