The two MP’s for Huntingdonshire have announced who they will back in the Conservative leadership race.

Jonathan Djanogly MP for Huntingdon and Shailesh Vara, MP for North West Cambridgeshire, have revealed who they will be backing to be the next leader of the Conservative party and prime minister.

The 2019 Conservative Party leadership election was triggered when Theresa May announced on May 24 that she would resign as leader of the party on June 7, and stand down as prime minister once a successor was elected.

Nominations were opened on June 10, and 10 candidates have been shortlisted.

The first ballot of MPs will take place tomorrow (Thursday), with exhaustive ballots of MPs reducing the candidates to two. The general membership of the party will elect the new leader by postal ballot with the result to be announced on July 22.

Mr Djanogly has said that he will be backing Matthew Handcock, who has been the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care since 2018.

Mr Djanogly has said his reasons for backing Mr Handcock are that he "understands that the future of the Conservatives must include young people".

He also tweeted saying: "The thing about the Matt Hancock plan for delivering Brexit is that it is based in reality and what is possible- and I say that as someone who has spent two years on the Brexit committee listening to and questioning all the players."

However, Mr Vara has said that he will be supporting Dominic Rabb as he has "a vision for a better and fairer Britain in the future."

Mr Vara tweeted: "A very confident and positive performance by Dominic Raab at today's hustings. Leaving the EU on October 31 and a vision for a better, fairer and more prosperous UK."

The final list of candidates for Tory leadership contest are:

- Michael Gove

- Matt Hancock

- Mark Harper

- Jeremy Hunt

- Sajid David

- Boris Johnson

- Andrea Leadsom

- Esther McVey

- Dominic Raab

- Rory Stewart