Sam Gyimah quits as 10 Tory leadership candidates win through to first ballot
2 min read
Ten Tory MPs have made it through to the first leadership ballot after Sam Gyimah became the latest candidate to withdraw from the race.
The former minister - who opposes Brexit and wants a second referendum - said there had "not been enough time to build sufficient support" for his campaign.
His announcement came shortly before the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers confirmed that the remaining candidates had received at least eight nominations, the minimum number required to officially enter the race.
Mr Gyimah said: "I entered the Conservative Party leadership contest to broaden the debate and bring the diverse of millions on Brexit to the fore.
"It has been a tremendous privilege to be able to make the case for a new referendum as a credible solution to break the Brexit deadlock.
"But I have reached the conclusion that, having entered the race at such a late stage, there simply has not been enough time to build sufficient support, and I have decided to step back."
He is the third Tory MP, after James Cleverly and Kit Malthouse, to announce they were running only to withdraw from the race after admitting they did not have enough support.
1922 Committee interim co-chair confirmed that the candidates proceeding to Thursday's ballot of Tory MPs are Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, Jeremy Hunt, Matt Hancock, Dominic Raab, Sajid Javid, Esther McVey, Andrea Leadsom, Mark Harper and Rory Stewart.
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