Foreign secretary and Norfolk MP Liz Truss has coasted through the first round of votes in the Conservative leadership race.

Ms Truss, who is the MP for South West Norfolk, joins former chancellor Rishi Sunak and trade minister Penny Mordaunt in the next round following this afternoon's vote.

Senior backbencher Tom Tugendhat, Attorney General Suella Braverman, and former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch also progressed to the final six candidates.

Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi and former health secretary Jeremy Hunt have been eliminated from the race to succeed Boris Johnson after failing to get 30 votes in the first round of voting by Tory MPs.

Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the Conservative 1922 committee overseeing the contest, read out the results in a crowded Committee Room 14 in the 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 the foreign secretary said.