Increasingly bitter race to replace UK PM Johnson narrows to four

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks to CEOs as he attends the Farnborough International Airshow, in Farnborough, Britain, July 18, 2022. Frank Augstein/Pool via REUTERS

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain's former finance minister Rishi Sunak held onto his lead in the race to become Britain's next prime minister on Monday as another hopeful was knocked out, leaving four candidates in an increasingly bitter contest to replace Boris Johnson.

Sunak got 115 votes in the third ballot of Conservative lawmakers on Monday, ahead of former defence minister Penny Mordaunt on 82 and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on 71.