Six candidates remain in the running to replace UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson after Wednesday's first round of voting, the Conservative Party announced, with finance minister Nadhim Zahawi and former foreign minister Jeremy Hunt eliminated.
Rishi Sunak, who quit as Chancellor for the Exchequer last week to trigger Johnson's downfall, leads the pack with the support of 88 Tory MPs, followed by Penny Mordaunt, on 67, who polling shows is most popular with the party membership that will ultimately decide the race.
Earlier on Wednesday Johnson held his penultimate Prime Minister's Questions.
"I will be leaving soon with my head held high," Johnson said.
Praising his government's economic record, he added: "One of the consolations of leaving office at this particular time is that vacancies are at an all-time high."
Under the election schedule, Johnson's successor as Conservative leader is meant to be announced on September 5, as the party seeks to rebuild its popular support after he was felled by non-stop scandal.
But Johnson suggested the new leader could be elected "by acclamation" before next week, if the last two candidates agree a deal between them.
Leading contenders have already ruled that out, and Johnson's press secretary told reporters that he was merely noting "uncertainty" about the race.
She added that the government was filing a Commons vote of confidence in itself, with a debate set for Monday, after rejecting an opposition Labour motion that was designed to evict Johnson sooner.
Labour leader Keir Starmer said Johnson was "totally deluded to the bitter end" but could take comfort in no longer having to follow the rules set for everyone else -- a biting reference to "Partygate" and other scandals.
In a sign of things to come, Starmer also set his sights on the Tory leadership contenders, including on the complicated tax affairs of wealthy frontrunner Rishi Sunak.
- Claims of unity -
Johnson was forced last week to announce his resignation after a wave of ministerial resignations including by then finance minister Sunak.
It was a stunning fall from grace for a politician who secured a landslide election win in December 2019 and took the UK out of the European Union a month later, before the Covid pandemic struck.