Rory Stewart has become the latest candidate to be eliminated from the race to become the next leader of the Conservative party.

Only 27 MPs voted for him, meaning he finished last and was automatically knocked out.

Today's vote saw the odds-on favourite Boris Johnson retain his commanding position as he scooped up 143 votes.

He received a further boost earlier in the day when two more Kent MPs endorsed his campaign.

Helen Grant, MP for Maidstone and The Weald said she was supporting the former Foreign Secretary, having previously backed the former Brexit minister Dominic Raab.

She said: "He is clearly the only remaining candidate who has the required resolve to deliver Brexit by the end of October.

"However, importantly, he also has the ideas, energy and personality required to unite our country around a domestic agenda which will provide opportunities to everyone in the UK irrespective of their background."

Gillingham MP Rehman Chishti also declared he was backing Mr Johnson, meaning 11 of the county’s MPs have publicly endorsed the former foreign secretary.

Today's votes for each candidate was:

Boris Johnson: 143

Jeremy Hunt: 54

Michael Gove: 51

Sajid Javid: 38

Rory Stewart: 27 (eliminated)

Earlier, it emerged that aides for Rory Stewart and Michael Gove had held talks about teaming up on a joint ticket but no firm proposals were made.

Further elimination rounds are to be held tomorrow with voting continuing until just two candidates are left.

WATCH: Analysis of the second round of voting in the Tory leadership race

The prospective leaders will then face postal vote by all party members before the winner is announced in the week starting Monday, July 22.

Who is backing who? Kent MPs who have declared are

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