The last poll I saw of the Tory Party Members, it was Penny Mordaunt (19.6%) and Kemi Badenoch (18.6%) that were the top two, followed by Rishi Sunak, (12.1%) Suella Braverman (11%) and Liz Truss came 5th (10.9%)
I guess it depends which two candidates the Tory membership are left with after the MPs have whittled down the number of candidates.
I don’t have any particular horse in the race but I hope it doesn’t go to Liz Truss. I would prefer it to go to one of the top 3 in that list.
Certainly Kemi is a strong choice in many ways, I thought her speech today was very good, and I’ve seen her many times at the despatch box where she is articulate and performs very well in the face of hostility.
Penny Mordaunt has had a chequered career, but that might not be a bad thing - some were senior posts:
I confess Id never heard of Suella Braverman before, and then I read this today which I found enlightening…
Suella Braverman is the anti-woke prime minister our children need
The ‘progressive’ ideologies of the radical left are causing real harm to our young people. Braverman is the woman to put an end to it
Less than three years after winning a thumping 80 seat majority, the Prime Minister has resigned and we are in the midst of a leadership contest. Whilst personality and charisma might be enough to get you elected, it turns out they do not guarantee your ability to govern with longevity.
But govern we must. Our economy faces the twin threats of inflation and recession. Brexit is unfinished, there is war in Europe, and we are facing widespread strikes and an energy crisis.
These issues cannot wait. Whoever becomes our next Prime Minister must be able to walk through the black door, grasp the red box with both hands and deliver.
That’s why I will be voting for Suella Braverman, a woman who has repeatedly demonstrated not only that she understands what needs to be done and the detail of how to do it, but also has the determination and courage to stand her ground and see things through.
Take Brexit. Suella is alone amongst the leadership candidates to have held out against a watered-down Brexit. And as Attorney General she was instrumental in securing the difficult but necessary amendments to the Northern Ireland Protocol and stood firm in the face of institutional opposition. On illegal immigration, Suella has publicly challenged the Court’s ruling that stopped the deportation of illegal migrants.
And on her plans for the future, Suella again not only lays out the ‘what’ but the ‘how’. Take the issue of taxation. Most of the candidates say they will cut taxes. Hear hear. But Suella Braverman explains how; only through reducing demand on the state by building strong families and communities can we shrink the size of the state and with it our tax bills.
But there is another issue that eclipses even the economic and security challenges that we now face.
We are in the middle of a battle over culture and values that threatens to erode the foundations of British society. Some call this the ‘culture war’ and dismiss it as light entertainment for the Twitterati.
But as a former teacher, I believe this is a battle that we must win, because the ‘progressive’ ideologies of the radical left are causing significant harm to our children and young people. Last month I led a debate in Parliament, revealing some of the appalling materials being used in schools in the name of ‘progressive’ relationship and sex education. Even our young children are being sexualised, told they can change sex and encouraged to discuss intimate details with adults. Since the debate my inbox has overflowed with parents’ testimonies from across our country, distraught about what is being taught to their children and in too many cases being told that they have no rights to stop it.
We must urgently push back against this attempt to undermine childhood, not just with bold statements but with a watertight legal plan to restore the rights of parents.
The first time I met Suella was after I had publicly questioned the former Schools Minister about children being ‘transitioned’ in schools. Suella sought me out in Parliament to tell me she was concerned about the DfE’s position and was urgently drawing up plans to clarify the legal position for schools and teachers. Here is a woman who doesn’t wait for problems to come across her desk or try to kick the can down the road, but tackles issues head on and with the full authority of the law.
In voting for the next leader, MPs are of course thinking about who can win the next election. But we must also consider who can govern now. For if we don’t fulfil our election promises – to deliver Brexit, level up our economy and push back against an agenda that divides us - no amount of ‘appeal’ is going to persuade voters to trust the Conservatives with a fifth term in office.
Boris has fired the warning shots, but now we must occupy the ground. Suella Braverman has the courage and determination – and the proven ability – to deliver on the promises that put the Conservatives in power."
She would get my vote all day and every day 
I was impressed with Kemi Badenoch’s speech today, too.
I don’t agree with all her views but I thought she showed common sense in a lot of her plans and comments and she outlined her plans in a down-to-earth manner.
My concern would be that she does not have the Cabinet experience - but maybe a new broom with fresh ideas is what is needed to “cleanse the Augean stables”
The poll was online and attracted only 842 voters:
so maybe not representative of the Party as a whole.
Maybe not.
Only time will tell.
We won’t know the final line-up until the deadline for getting the 20 MP backers each Candidate needs - that is at 6pm tonight, I think?
I guess that some Candidates may drop out en route if they sense they won’t win or don’t want to split the vote, so give their support to another Candidate.
Not long to go:
Candidates vying to be the leader of the Conservative Party - and the next prime minister - have until 18:00 BST to get the support of at least 20 MPs.
Should the “leader” always be the “captain” … 
The main problem as I see it, is only a very small part of the eligible to vote public will be asked. So it will always be a skewed result 
Having read all the posts so far, l must say my vote would go for Suella
Braverman !!
She meets all my requirments for a PM if all the stuff written here is true ??
Pity we are not the ones voting though !!
Donkeyman! 
My vote too Donks. She hates wokery and that alone is enuf for me 
Hi
Complaining about politicians and Government is a national pastime , you don’t have to be a Tory Hater to do it.
I am an equal opportunities whinger, I do the same when Labour are in power,
As an aside, please do not automatically assume that all the allegations circulating about affairs with junior staff, Sadism and explicit photos relate to the male candidates only.
Why would we assume anything? If no allegation has been made public, then there is no one to attach it to, male or female. If an allegation has been made, then we would know the sex of the accused, and so still would not need to assume. 
Eight candidates make it through
Now we hear from Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench MPs.
He says eight candidates have been nominated: Kemi Badenoch, Suella Braverman, Jeremy Hunt, Penny Mordaunt, Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, Tom Tugendhat and Nadhim Zahawi.
Former Health Secretary Sajid Javid withdraws from the contest to be the next Conservative Party leader.
Rishi Sunak, the former chancellor, is now the joint favourite with Penny Mordaunt, according to betting odds. They’re followed by Liz Truss, Tom Tugendhat and Kemi Badenoch.
He says the first round ballot will take place on Wednesday, from 13:30 to 15:30.
The first hustings are happening in Parliament this evening, starting in just under an hour.
The eight candidates will have 12 minutes each to speak, ahead of tomorrow’s vote.
Any candidate receiving fewer than 30 votes from the 358 Tory MPs will be eliminated in this first round. If all candidates reach that number, the one with the fewest votes is eliminated.
Rounds of voting continue until only two candidates remain, then the vote goes out to Conservative Party members across the UK.
Who will suffer the ignominy of being rejected first …
I’ll tune into BBC Parliament Channel to watch the speeches.
The Party has set a very fast paced timetable - it is all moving along very quickly.
I’ll forego the speeches but bring back your impressions … 
I misinterpreted that as Boot actually doing impersonations of the leading candidates, and was wondering what I had been missing! 
@Omah , perhaps you can answer a question for me Omah,l have tried
google and it seems to be a bit tardy in answering my explicit question ??
Which is ,what happens to the votes that Sajid Javid had accrued before he
stood down, can he pass them on to another candidate ??
I hope you can help as it is worrying me ??
Donkeyman! 
That would be very clever on a forum … a bit like like ventriloquist Peter Brough and his dummy Archie on radio shows … 
