Rishi Sunak takes the lead in the Conservative vote in the race for Prime Minister

LONDON - Britain's record-breaking heatwave has come against the backdrop of an intensely watched domestic political contest as the race to succeed Prime Minister Boris Johnson was vanquished to the candidates only before a critical vote on Wednesday.

Rishi Sunak, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer; Penny Mordaunt, a mid-level trade minister; and Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, remain in competition for the support of Conservative Party lawmakers, who on Wednesday will narrow the field to two.

They will then fight for votes by Conservative Party members, with the result of the leadership race to be announced on September 5. In the British political system, the winner becomes Prime Minister because the Conservatives hold the largest block of seats in Parliament.

< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">The results of the latest poll of Conservative lawmakers, held and announced in Parliament on Tuesday put Mr Sunak firmly in the lead with 118 votes, just short of the 120 he needs to secure his place in Wednesday's shortlist of two.

The battle for second place remains wide open, with Ms Mordaunt securing 92 votes - an increase of 10 after a similar vote on Monday - and Ms Truss just behind with 86. Ms Truss holds a little more momentum, having won 15 more votes in the final round.

The candidate ranked fourth on Tuesday, Kemi Badenoch, the former Minister for Equalities and Local Government, was eliminated from the contest after a campaign that raised his notoriety. Ms. Badenoch's supporters will likely decide the outcome of Wednesday's contest, as the 59 votes she amassed on Tuesday are redistributed among the remaining contenders.

In theory, n any of the three surviving contestants - Mr. Sunak, Ms. Mordaunt and Ms. Truss - could qualify for the final two at the end of the least predictable contest of its kind in recent memory.

Because the ballot is secret, some lawmakers have reportedly voted strategically, trying to weed out candidates they dislike, rather than promoting their favorite. Other lawmakers may have been swayed by the candidates' promises of future jobs.

And while Mr Sunak emerged as the undisputed favorite to reach the final round, he would face an uphill battle there. According to an opinion poll, Ms. Mordaunt and Ms. Truss are more popular than Mr. Sunak among Conservative Party members.