And then there were seven…. Tory hopeful Tom Tugendhat says he is prepared to leave the ECHR as Priti Patel, James Cleverly, Kemi Badenoch, Robert Jenrick, Mel Stride and Suella Braverman circle - but Victoria Atkins drops out

Seven Tories are pitching for the leadership today as Tom Tugendhat insisted he would be prepared to leave the ECHR.

The former security minister has followed James Cleverly in formally announcing he is a candidate to succeed Rishi Sunak.

And he moved to woo the Right by criticising the European court this morning, despite being seen as part of the One Nation grouping in the party.

Manoeuvring is gathering pace after nominations opened last night, with contenders now having until Tuesday to gather support from at least 10 MPs to appear on the initial ballot.

Rival camps have heaping pressure on Kemi Badenoch, warning that the apparent frontrunner must show she has backing from dozens of her colleagues to maintain momentum.

Ms Badenoch, Priti Patel, Robert Jenrick, Mel Stride and Suella Braverman are the other Conservatives who have requested nomination forms to fill out from the powerful 1922 committee.

Victoria Atkins had been touted for a run, but has now confirmed she will not seek the top job. However, it is unclear that all seven others will be able to meet the threshold, given there are now only 121 Tory MPs.

The Parliamentary party is expected to whittle the field to four candidates next week, with the Conservative conference in September being used as a 'beauty parade'.

A final two candidates will be put to a vote of party members with the winner taking over from Rishi Sunak on November 2.

Touring broadcast studios this morning, Mr Tugendhat suggested that he would be willing to leave the ECHR if it could not be reformed - echoing Mr Sunak's position.

'This is about making sure the institutions we are part of work for the British people,' he said.

The MP refused to accept that the next election was a foregone conclusion, after Labour's massive landslide.

'Yes, it is possible to do that. You've got to restore trust. You've got to demonstrate delivery and you've got to be able to listen to the British people to make sure you understand where the challenges are,' he said.

'But you can look at what Keir Starmer achieved, frankly, he went from his worst electoral result to his best in five years.

'We can do the same but we need to be united. We need to regain the trust of the British people and we need to be ready to deliver.'

The extended timetable for the contest has been causing concern in Tory circles, with complaints that Mr Sunak is already 'California Dreaming' after a low-key PMQs performance.

The Opposition leader seemed to take a deliberately low-key approach during his first weekly clash with Keir Starmer yesterday.

Instead of attacking the premier over Labour infighting on the two-child benefit cap or fears of looming tax rises, Mr Sunak focused his questions on the need to support Ukraine.

Conservatives pointed out that Mr Sunak has three months left, and is likely to find himself responding to a crucial Budget from Chancellor Rachel Reeves - although the date is not yet confirmed.