Britain's chancellor Nadhim Zahawi and former UK cabinet minister Jeremy Hunt have been eliminated from the race to succeed Boris Johnson after the first round of voting by Tory MPs.
Rishi Sunak, whose resignation helped trigger the Tory leadership race, topped the ballot, with Britain's trade minister Penny Mordaunt ahead of British foreign secretary Liz Truss.
Senior backbencher Tom Tugendhat, Britain's attorney general Suella Braverman and former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch also progressed to the final six candidates.
Mr Zahawi along with Mr Hunt, who has held the offices of health and foreign secretary, both failed to get the 30 votes required to get to the next stage.
Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the Conservative 1922 committee overseeing the contest, read out the results in a crowded Committee Room 14 in Britain's House of Commons.
Mr Sunak was on 88, Ms Mordaunt on 67, Ms Truss, 50, Ms Badenoch, 40, Mr Tugendhat, 37, and Ms Braverman squeaked through on 32.
Mr Zahawi, brought in by Mr Johnson after Mr Sunak’s resignation, got 25 and Mr Hunt only 18.
Ms Truss sought to unite the right of the party, as subsequent voting from Thursday will eliminate the least popular candidate until two are left.
“Now is the time for colleagues to unite behind the candidate who will cut taxes, deliver the real economic change we need from day one and ensure Putin loses in Ukraine,” a spokeswoman for Ms Truss said.
