Grassroots Conservatives in Suffolk and across the country will have their say on whether Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss becomes the next Prime Minister over the next six weeks.

After MPs whittled down the initial field of candidates from 10 to just two, party members will have to choose between former Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss in a postal vote during August.

Both the surviving candidates are backed by high-profile Suffolk MPs.

Rishi Sunak has been backed by former Health Secretary and West Suffolk MP Matt Hancock. And he also has the backing of South Suffolk MP James Cartlidge who served as his Parliamentary Private Secretary at the Treasury.

Employment Secretary and Suffolk Coastal MP Dr Therese Coffey is a strong supporter of Liz Truss - they have worked closely together since they were both first elected to the House of Commons in 2010.

Waveney MP Peter Aldous had been supporting Penny Mordaunt who lost out in the final MPs' vote on Wednesday afternoon and Ipswich MP Tom Hunt had been supporting Saffron Walden MP Kemi Badenoch who was eliminated on Tuesday.

Central Suffolk and North Ipswich MP Dr Dan Poulter had supported former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt who had been knocked out in the first round of voting last week.

Mr Aldous said on Wednesday that he did not expect to be campaigning over the next six weeks - but he would be voting for Rishi Sunak in the membership ballot.

Postal votes are expected to be sent out in early August to Conservative Party members. At the last count in 2019 there were 160,000 members but this is thought to have gone up slightly - however it still only represents about 0.3% of the UK population.

All ballots have to be returned for counting by Friday, September 2 and the winner will be announced on Monday, September 5 - in time to take the first Prime Minister's Questions of the September session of Parliament on September 7.