DEVIZES MP Danny Kruger will have to switch votes after his preferred candidate to succeed Prime Minister Boris Johnson was knocked out of the contest this afternoon.

Attorney General Suella Braverman was latest MP to be eliminated in today's second round ballot to succeed Mr Johnson as the Tory Party leader.

She failed to win enough votes to go through to the third round in the ballot by MPs in Westminster.

Ms Braverman lost support with only 27 votes (-5) and was eliminated from the race. Mr Kruger, who backed Ms Braverman, will now have to decide who to support next.

Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak keeps his front runner status with 101 votes – up 13 from 88 in the first round.

He is being backed by two of Wiltshire’s five MPs, South West Wiltshire MP Dr Andrew Murrison, and Salisbury MP John Glen.

But International Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt is riding high with 83 votes – a rise of 16 - despite Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who was well behind on 64 votes, a rise of 14 votes, begging Tory right-wingers to back her.

Former Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch got 49 votes (+9), while Tom Tugendhat lost support with only 32 votes (-5) and looks likely to be eliminated in the next round on Monday unless he pulls out before then.

It is not known who Chippenham MP Michelle Donelan is supporting after her preferred candidate Nadhim Zahawi was eliminated in the first round.

She is running a poll on her website so that constituents can let her know who is Chippenham’s preferred candidate.

North Wiltshire MP James Gray is backing Ms Mordaunt, who now looks to be in a strong position to reach the last two and go head-to-head against Mr Sunak in a ballot of Conservative Party members.

She has already been installed as the bookies favourite, after a shock YouGov poll suggested that she could win a run-off poll against any of her rivals.

The focus will now shift to a series of television debates over the weekend where the five remaining candidates will be questioned on topical issues facing the country.