LIZ Truss will go head-to-head with Rishi Sunak to become the next prime minister after Penny Mordaunt was dramatically dumped out of the campaign to replace Boris Johnson.

The Foreign Secretary has been made bookies’ favourite to be named the next Conservative leader after she edged ahead of Ms Mordaunt in the final round of voting by Tory MPs yesterday.

Mr Sunak has told Tory members that he is the best candidate to restore trust with the public, while Ms Truss pointed to her “bold new economic plan that will cut taxes, grow our economy and unleash the potential of everyone in our United Kingdom”.

Scottish Conservative Leader Douglas Ross, praised the two candidates and stressed that “both of them bring extensive Cabinet service”.

Ms Mordaunt has seen her momentum disintegrate after being an early favourite to be the next prime minister.

Despite being the favourite candidate with Tory members, who will have the final say on who becomes the PM, Ms Mordaunt was pipped by Ms Truss, who increased her tally on support from MPs by 27 and taking her to 113 votes compared to Ms Mordaunt’s 105 votes.

Mr Sunak and Ms Truss will go through to the run-off vote by party members who will vote on who will become the next party leader and PM.

Mr Sunak’s campaign said he had secured a “clear mandate” from Tory MPs and will now “work night and day” to win the backing of the Conservative membership after he made it onto the final ballot for the leadership contest.

The former chancellor said he was best placed to beat Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer at the next general election.

He said: “We need to restore trust, rebuild the economy and reunite our country.

“I’m confident that we can do that and we’ve got a really positive message to take out to all our members now – crucially, who is the best person to beat Keir Starmer and the Labour Party at the next election?

“I believe I’m the only candidate who can do that.”

The Foreign Secretary thanked supporters for entrusting her after she made it onto the final ballot in the Tory leadership campaign.

She said: “I am excited to now take to the country to make the case to the Conservative Party about my bold new economic plan that will cut taxes, grow our economy and unleash the potential of everyone in our United Kingdom.

“As prime minister I would hit the ground running from day one, unite the party and govern in line with Conservative values.”

The two candidates are expected to go head-to-head in a TV debate on Monday night and take part in a series of hustings aimed at wooing Tory members including in Perth on August 16.

Previous debates saw them fiercely clash with each other and some Tories fear the damage further public rows will cause to the party.

Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said: “This Tory leadership contest is so scarily embarrassing both candidates pulled out of the TV debate.”

Mr Sunak and Ms Truss declined the invitation to a Sky News debate earlier this week, forcing the show to be cancelled.

Ms Rayner said: “They’re hiding from the public and their record. The Tories have no leadership and no answers.

“They’re unfit to govern. Only Labour can provide the fresh start the country needs.”

Ms Mordaunt congratulated Mr Sunak and Ms Truss.

She said: “I pay tribute to anyone who puts themselves forward for such a demanding role.

“Politics isn’t easy. It can be a divisive and difficult place. We must all now work together to unify our party and focus on the job that needs to be done.”

She added: “I am a One Nation, proud Brexiteer. My campaign put forward a positive vision for the country I love so much, remembering who we are here to serve.

“Our mission is not only to deliver on what we promised but to win the fight against Labour at the next general election. I hope to play my part in both.”

The result of the contest will be announced on September 5.

The winner is expected to replace Mr Johnson as prime minister the following day.

A stark YouGov poll earlier this week showed that Tory members would not hand victory to Mr Sunak if he went up against any of his rivals.

The poll put Ms Truss beating Mr Sunak convincingly by 54 to 35.

Ms Truss has insisted that she would strengthen the case for the Union by making “people’s lives better” across the UK while Mr Sunak would make “an emotional case” for keeping the UK together.

In a hustings event for the Spectator podcast, the Foreign Secretary ruled out holding a second referendum on Scottish independence, while Mr Sunak said the issue was not his priority.

Ms Truss said she is a “child of the Union”, highlighting her upbringing in Paisley when quizzed about how she would make a positive case for a United Kingdom as prime minister.

Asked if the Scots love her, she replied: “That’s a question for Scots. Probably some Scots love me, I can tell you that.

“But the important point is not about how many meetings we have and how many visits we do – which of course are important and it’s an important part of ministerial life – is what we actually deliver for people.

“And are people’s lives better, do they have more opportunity?”

Mr Sunak said he would try to make an “emotional argument for the United Kingdom from the heart, as well as the practical argument for it and demonstrating it”.

The Scottish Conservative leader said that the campaign so far had been “full of robust debate and ideas”.

Mr Ross added: “This contest clearly showed that it is only the Conservative Party that has the talented individuals within it to truly represent all parts of our country.

“With the final two candidates having now emerged, I fully recognise that both of them bring extensive Cabinet service, particularly during some of the most challenging periods in the country’s history and either one of them are fully up to the task of being our next Prime Minister.

“As Scottish Conservative leader, I will work with whoever emerges victorious from the vote by party members.

“The next six weeks offer a chance for both Rishi and Liz to outline their policies and vision to the membership and I look forward to seeing that happen across the country, including at the Scottish hustings.”

Ms Truss, who is being backed by Boris Johnson’s most loyal allies, insisted the party’s brand is “in a positive place”, adding: “I’m not in any way saying what’s gone on has been perfect”.

Mr Sunak said putting a team together is “by far and away the most important priority at the beginning and how we will bring people together and serve the British people to the best of our ability”.

Ms Truss, whose tax-cutting promises have been criticised by former Cabinet minister David Davis as having “gone a bit far”, insisted they were “affordable”.

She said: “I am very clear it can be paid for within the existing fiscal envelope. The taxes that I’m cutting cost £30 billion, that is affordable.”

She also vowed to “have a thorough review of tax and simplify our taxes”.

Ms Truss denied that she will be “complacent” after making it into the Tory leadership run-off.

She said: “I’m not complacent at all, I am going to be working very hard over the next six weeks to put my case to Conservative Party members.

“What I believe is that lowering taxes, opening up opportunities is going to help us deliver the economic growth that Britain needs and it’s also going to help deliver us the next election.

“I can win against Keir Starmer in 2024 – that’s my message to our members right across the country”.

Mr Sunak has praised all candidates who put themselves forward to become the next prime minister.

He said: “This contest has shown that the Conservative Party actually has a fantastic range of people in it, all of whom bring something exceptional and different to the table.

“I’m really excited about the future of Conservative government in this country because of that, and I know that if I’m successful, I will try and build a team that draws on all the talents and strengths in our party, cause that’s what Britain deserves.”

Asked if Ms Truss would have a place at his Cabinet table, he said: “As I said, this leadership contest has shown that we’ve got fantastically able people at the top of our party. All of them bring something exceptional to the table.

“But at this point, the question for our members is who is the best possible person to beat Keir Starmer in the next election. And it’s clear that I’m the only candidate who can do that.”

The former chancellor said there had been a “healthy” debate about ideas.

Asked if he regretted “blue-on-blue” attacks, and whether they would stop, he said: “What we’ve seen is actually a debate about ideas which is very healthy.

“And it’s good for us to debate ideas to make sure that we get the policies right for the country.

“Now people have heard from me a positive vision about what we can do. I’ll tackle our problems with honesty and responsibility. I’ll make sure that we support people, I’ll make sure that we grow our economy and take advantage of the freedoms that Brexit gives us.”

In two of the three Conservative leadership elections that got as far as a ballot of party members in recent decades, the candidate who won the most votes among MPs went on to win the members’ vote.

The most recent example was in 2019, which saw the final ballot of MPs end with Boris Johnson in front on 160 votes (51% of the total), while Jeremy Hunt won 77 (25%) and Michael Gove won 75 (24%).