Rishi Sunak will visit Harrogate tomorrow to court Conservative Party members as he attempts to boost his flagging hopes of becoming the next Prime Minister, the Stray Ferret understands.
The former Chancellor is expected to be in Harrogate at around 3pm to meet members, who have been voting for either Foreign Secretary Liz Truss or Mr Sunak to be the next Tory leader and PM.
Mr Sunak was the most popular choice among MPs, but among members, polling has put him consistently behind Ms Truss.
Bookmaker William Hill has odds of 1/16 for Ms Truss to be the winner with Mr Sunak trailing way behind on 17/2.
A lengthy campaign has seen two rivals tour the country in July and August.
Liz Truss met members in Harrogate on August 9, attending a house on the Duchy estate believed to be owned by Harrogate Borough Council deputy leader Graham Swift.
Liz Truss arrives at Bettys in Harrogate this month.
It will be the second visit to the Harrogate district for Mr Sunak, who spoke to party members in Masham earlier in the campaign.
The winner will be announced by September 5.
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The Richmond MP has the backing of both Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones and Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith.
In an article on his website, Community News, Mr Jones described why he is backing the former chancellor. He wrote:
“The country needs someone who is consistent and transparent to reinvigorate trust in politics.”