Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson walks to a waiting car as he leaves from 10 Downing Street in central London on July 13, 2022 to head to the Houses of Parliament for the weekly Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) session. - Britain's ruling Conservative party was Wednesday to winnow down the eight candidates vying to succeed Prime Minister Boris Johnson amid growing acrimony over alleged dirty tricks. (Photo by CARLOS JASSO / AFP)

Six candidates have advanced to the next round in the race to succeed Boris Johnson as leader of the British Conservative Party and Prime Minister.

Ex-Finance Minister Rishi Sunak, Trade Secretary Penny Mordaunt, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, MP Kemi Badenoch, Foreign Affairs Committee chief Tom Tugendhat and Chief Legal Officer Suella Braverman prevailed in the first vote in the Tory group on Wednesday.

Ex-Health Minister Jeremy Hunt and Finance Minister Nadhim Zahawi, on the other hand, did not make it past the hurdle of at least 30 votes.

The next vote is scheduled for Thursday. In each subsequent round, the last-placed player is eliminated.

Voting in the Conservative faction is expected to continue in the coming days until only two candidates remain. These should then face a runoff election of the party members over the summer. A Johnson successor is to be chosen on September 5th.

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