Live – Sir John Major says the cabinet sat by silently while the law was broken

4.34 pm – Ministers are closing ranks around their preferred candidate for party leader, Rishi Sunak.

Health minister Gillian Keegan has joined among others Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab in throwing their support behind the former chancellor in his bid to be the next party leader.

She told Sky News: “We’re facing really quite challenging times in our country. I think serious times need serious people.

“He’s got proven experience. Obviously, he navigated some really tricky things during the pandemic.

“He got it right. I like his honesty, and integrity.”

4 pm – In an appeal to Johnson supporters Rishi Sunak has called on party members not to demonise him, saying he is a “remarkable man.”

Sunak went on to criticise his rivals’ tax-cut promises, dismissing them as “not credible” until the rate of inflation is brought under control.

3.45 pm – Sir John Major has come out and criticised senior Tory party members who he says “sat aside silently when they should’ve been speaking out.”

The thinly-veiled swipe at some of the leading candidates comes at a crucial time during the election race, but it remains to be seen whether it has any impact on the final outcome.

Attacking the cabinet specifically during a House of Commons Committee meeting on Tuesday, July 12, Sir Major said he knew the government had “broken the law” and had “risked pulling our constitution into threads” but that cabinet members only spoke out “when their silence became self-damaging.”

3.29 pm – Latest reports are that four candidates have managed to muster sufficient support to get past the first round, with Rishi Sunak the leading candidate.

The other three candidates said to have reached the magic number of 20 supporters are Penny Mordaunt, Liz Truss and Tom Tugendhat. The latter is however said to be saving his reserve votes for the next round in a game of cat and mouse.

3:04 pm – Reports are coming in that Home Secretary Priti Patel has decided not to enter the Tory leadership election race, effectively ruling herself out.

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