Voting kicks off today amongst Tory MPs in the first round of ballots to decide who will be Prime Minister. Little seems certain about the outcome of a leadership election which has already offered up much drama in the first week. But based on the large support of Conservative MPs gathering behind Theresa May, it is difficult to imagine the Home Secretary not being on the final shortlist going to members. According to our list of which Tory MPs are backing who, May now has the support of more than 100 of her Conservative colleagues. That tally puts her way in front of her rivals, with Andrea Leadsom trailing in second with 38 Tory MPs behind her. Whilst many Conservative MPs haven’t publicly sided one way or the other, the consensus around May is building. She now has the support of ten of her fellow Cabinet colleagues and based on the steady trickle of Tory MPs who have backed her over the last week, she has the momentum (particularly compared to Michael Gove, who seems to have struggled to gain many public endorsements since he announced his bid).
What’s more, Theresa May has also been handed a big boost by a poll conducted of Conservative party members of who they would side with.
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