... and top Tories feel the heat as race is narrowing to just three

LIZ TRUSS and Kemi Badenoch today laid out their visions for the future of the Tory Right as the race to be the next Prime Minister was being whittled down to three candidates.

- Nicholas Cecil, David Bond and Rachael Burford

Just hours before MPs were voting in the fourth round of the Conservative leadership contest, Ms Truss ramped up her campaign by stressing core messages on low tax and defence spending.

With Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine and China becoming a growing economic and military power, she tweeted: "We live in an increasingly dangerous world where the threat level is higher than a decade ago. As prime minister, I will get defence spending to three per cent (of GDP) by 2030 to keep this country safe!"

Ms Truss was seeking to win over backers of soldier-turned-MP Tom Tugendhat who was the candidate knocked out of the third round of the contest yesterday, after finishing last with 31 votes. The Cabinet minister, on 71 votes, was battling to get on the shortlist of two candidates to be put to Tory members in a postal ballot over the summer. She first had to see off the threat from Ms Badenoch, on 58 votes, and then overtake former international development secretary Penny Mordaunt, with 82.

Having gained momentum in the third round, Ms Badenoch said early this morning: "I'm the only change candidate left. I do feel confident. There is everything to play for. My colleagues are looking at who is going to be winning the next election."