Penny Mordaunt was eliminated from the penultimate round of voting for the conservative leadership. Either Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss will be the next prime minister of the UK.

After over a week of hard political campaigning and debates the final two candidates have been decided.Penny Mordaunt would be the final candidate to be eliminated before Conservative members are allowed to have their say, in which she received 105 votes.Rishi Sunak came away with the largest count and received 137 votes, while Liz Truss managed to just get past the post with 113.

Hustings for members of the Conservative Party will be held around the country. They will begin from Friday 22nd July. The winner will be announced on Monday 5th September after a postal ballot. There are 160,000 Tory party members who will be able to caste their vote.Both Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss have agreed to take part in a head-to-head debate on Monday 25th July with the BBC.

Liz Truss thanked her supporters after the announcement that she had made it to the final two contenders, stating: "Thank you for putting your trust in me."

"I'm ready to hit the ground from day one."Penny Mordaunt, who was knocked out in this afternoons voting session, has shared her thoughts, commenting that "we go forward together".In a statement, she congratulated Sunak and Truss, stating:

"I play tribute to anyone who puts themselves forward for such a demanding role."Politics isn't easy. It can be a divisive and difficult place. We must all now work together to unify our party and focus on the job that needs to be done.

"She added: "I am a one nation, proud Brexiteer. My campaign put forward a positive vision for the country I love so much, remembering who we are here to serve."Our mission is not only to deliver on what we promised but to win the fight against Labour at the general election. I hope to play my part in both."Rishi Sunak's campaign team celebrated his victory and have stated: "This is a really strong result with a clear mandate from MPS. He will now work night and day to get the mandate from the wider Conservative Party family to beat Labour, protect the Union and seize the opportunities of Brexit."The choice for members is very simple: Who is the best person to beat Labour at the next election? The evidence shows that's Rishi."