Former British finance minister Rishi Sunak has won the biggest backing from Conservative lawmakers in the first vote to choose who will succeed Boris Johnson as party leader and prime minister.

Sunak secured 88 votes, with junior trade minister Penny Mordaunt in second place with 67 and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss third with 50.

Those remaining include former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch, chair of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Tugendhat and Attorney General Suella Braverman.

The six will go through to a second round on Thursday.

Nadhim Zahawi, who took over as chancellor of the exchequer from Sunak last week, and former Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt were eliminated after failing to get the required minimum of 30 votes.

The new party leader is scheduled to be chosen on September 5.