Ex-interior minister Priti Patel eliminated from UK Conservative leadership race
Priti Patel
Former UK interior minister Priti Patel was eliminated from the Conservative leadership contest on Wednesday after registering the fewest votes of the six candidates vying to succeed ex-premier Rishi Sunak.
Sunak announced his resignation as Tory leader after the party suffered a historic election defeat to Keir Starmer's Labour party in July, ending 14 years of Conservative rule.
The leadership race is seen as crucial in determining the future direction of the party: does it tack further to the right to pick up anti-immigrant voters or seek to regain the centre ground?
Former immigration minister Robert Jenrick won the first round, picking up 28 votes of fellow Tory MPs. The bookmakers' favourite and right-winger Kemi Badenoch was second on 22.
Shadow ministers James Cleverly, Tom Tugendhat and Mel Stride made it through to the next week's second round of voting but Patel dropped out after securing only 14 votes.
MPs will whittle the candidates down to a final two before party members choose which of them will become the next leader, the result of which is due on November 2.
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