Conservatives begin latest leadership vote after cutting Starmer’s poll lead – live

Voting is now officially underway in the Conservative Party leadership race, as Tory MPs decide which of the four remaining candidates will be knocked out of the contest today.

The ballot, open for just 90 minutes, will see the field narrowed ahead of Wednesday’s crucial vote.

The remaining contenders, Robert Jenrick, Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat are vying for the support of their parliamentary peers, with the results expected at 3.30pm.

Following the elimination of Mel Stride in the previous round, the competition is intensifying.

The last round’s results saw Mr Jenrick leading with 33 votes, Ms Badenoch close behind at 28, while Mr Cleverly and Mr Tugendhat were tied with 21 each.

Today’s vote will be decisive, as one hopeful will be forced to exit the race, leaving tree to battle for the final two spots ahead of the ballot set for the party’s wider membership.

British intelligence is facing a “hell of a job” over rising threats from Iran and Russia, as well as the resurgence of Isis and Al-Qaeda, the head of MI5 has warned.

A day after Sir Keir Starmer called on the international community to focus on the “malign” regime in Iran, which supports proxies across the Middle East including Hamas and Hezbollah, Ken McCallum said British intelligence has thwarted 20 Tehran-backed plots that “presented potentially lethal threats to British citizens” since the start of 2022.

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The race to determine the next Conservative leader continues today, with MPs set to eliminate one of the four remaining contenders.

• Voting opens at 1.30pm and closes at 3pm, with the results expected at 3.30pm.

• Tom Tugendhat is widely tipped to be the next candidate to drop out, leaving Robert Jenrick, James Cleverly, and Kemi Badenoch to battle it out in tomorrow’s round.

• The new party leader will be revealed on 2 November, following a vote by Conservative Party members.

• In other political news, former prime minister Boris Jonson has been defending comments from his memoir Unleashed, where he suggested the public “avidly craved” lockdown restrictions.

• Sir Keir Starmer is under growing pressure to repair his relationship with ethnic minority voters, as polling shows diminishing support from these communities.

• Labour’s lead in the polls has shrunk one point, as internal rows and criticism over free gifts the prime minister accepted continue to dent public perception.

• As the government prepares to unveil its October budget, Sir Keir is under scrutiny over his decision to cut winter fuel payments to pensioners.

Stay tuned for the latest updates and expert analysis throughout the day.

Tory MPs will begin voting at 1.30pm today in the latest stage of the Conservative Party leadership contest.

They will choose between four candidates including Robert Jenrick, Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat. 

The result of this round is expected at 3.30pm, narrowing the field before tomorrow’s crucial vote, which will determine the final two candidates.

Labour election guru Morgan McSweeney will take over as Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff after Sue Gray quit.

McSweeney is the creative intelligence behind Starmer’s success, first in winning the leadership of the Labour Party and then in winning a huge election victory in the country. It makes sense to have him at the top of the political side of No 10, writes Jabed Ahmed.

The transport secretary has indicated that HS2 will run into central London, saying it “would never have made sense” for that not to happen, following months of speculation over the rail line.

The government will make a final announcement around the time of the budget, Louise Haigh suggested.

Our political correspondent Millie Cooke has the full story below: