Rory Stewart remains in the race to become the next Conservative Party leader.

He will now appear in the live TV debate on the BBC tonight - where he will go up against rival Boris Johnson for the first time.

The latest round of the contest saw Cumbrian MP Mr Stewart secure enough votes to get through to the next stage.

Mr Stewart, who represents Penrith and the Border, was the fourth most popular choice, with 37 votes.

He tweeted: "Thank you for all the support - we seem to have almost doubled our vote again...more to come...#walkon"

 


Dominic Raab received the fewest votes, with just 30.

He now bows out, leaving five candidates in the running.

Mr Johnson remains the favourite.

The votes were:

Boris Johnson: 126

Jeremy Hunt: 46

Michael Gove: 41

Rory Stewart: 37

Sajid Javid: 37

OUT - Dominic Raab: 30