The former chancellor and Richmond MP Rishi Sunak has announced that he is “incredibly grateful” for the support of other Tory MPs as he leads the vote to become the new Prime Minister.

Today (Thursday, July 14) Suella Braverman has been eliminated from the race, while Rishi Sunak is leading by a healthy margin following the second round of voting.

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Currently standing at 101 votes, Mr Sunak is the frontrunner in the vote, followed not so closely by Penny Mordaunt with 83 votes.

In a statement on Twitter, the Richmond MP said he was “incredibly grateful” for the support of other Tories.

The Northern Echo:

He added: “I am prepared to give everything I have in service to our nation.

“Together we can restore trust, rebuild our economy and reunite the country.”

Mr Sunak launched his campaign to become Prime Minister on Tuesday (July 12) with pledges to cut taxes only when inflation is under control.

One North East Tory MP has also publicly backed Mr Sunak claiming he had been “a tireless champion for our leveling up agenda in Darlington and Teesside.”

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Peter Gibson, MP for Darlington added: “He took the brave and bold decision to site the Northern Economic Campus in Darlington.

However, Labour MPs have been quick to criticise the Richmond MP, reminding supporters that he “broke the law during the lockdown, flouting the very rules his own Government brought in.”

The Northern Echo:

Andy McDonald, MP for Middlesbrough, said a new leader will “not make a jot of difference to people living with the consequences of the cost-of-living crisis.”

Meanwhile, MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland and chief secretary to the Treasury took swipes at Tory leadership rivals Penny Mordaunt and Rishi Sunak today.

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Discussing the former chancellor’s approach to the economy with Sky News, the chief secretary to the Treasury said: “We were all frustrated by some of the choices in terms of tax, obviously those are private discussions in Government when we were bound by collective responsibility.

However, Tory MP for North West Durham Richard Holden, has also backed the former chancellor.

In a Twitter statement, Mr Holden said Rishi Sunk had "proved that he cares about the people & the prosperity of North West Durham."

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