Then there were six. The field has narrowed but after the first ballot of MPs, the Tory leadership race remains wide open.
At this stage in 2019, following the downfall of Theresa May, it was already clear that Boris Johnson had crushed the opposition.
Liz Truss has distinguished herself in Cabinet and on the international stage
If ante-post favourite Rishi Sunak hoped to mirror that storming performance this time round, he was sorely disappointed. Although narrowly in front, this was very far from a knockout blow.
Indeed, while others are still full of running, he already seems to be flagging.
Jeremy Hunt and Nadhim Zahawi were unceremoniously dumped – a fitting reward for their disloyalty to Boris.
Meanwhile, the big winner was Brexiteer and naval reservist Penny Mordaunt. She came second to Mr Sunak in this initial vote but the momentum appears to be with her.
Her surge was further emphasised by a poll suggesting she has considerable support among grassroots Tory members – the final electorate in this contest.
However, two things which may trip her up are her inexperience and, crucially, her apparent belief that biological men should have the right to self-identify as women. For the majority of Conservative voters, that puts her on the wrong side in the culture wars.
But if the anti-woke, tax-cutting Tory Right is to mount a successful challenge, they must unite behind a single candidate.
Liz Truss came a strong third yesterday, but the traditionalist vote was hopelessly split between her, Kemi Badenoch and Suella Braverman. Working together, they could have swept the board.
Excellent prospects as the other two are, they are almost entirely untested. For that reason it may not yet be their hour.
Truss, by contrast, has distinguished herself in Cabinet and on the international stage. She is the obvious choice for those who don’t want either Sunak or Mordaunt.
For her campaign to succeed, however, heavyweights on the Conservative Right, including Brexit champion Lord Frost, must also play their part.
Dare we suggest that many Tories would see Frost as chancellor in a Truss-led Cabinet which also includes Badenoch and Braverman in key roles as the perfect fit?
To make that happen, the Right needs to engage in some realpolitik.
Questions for Penny
So does Penny Mordaunt believe a man can become a woman simply by saying so? Her backing of controversial changes to the Gender Recognition Act would suggest she does.
Those changes would have ‘de-medicalised’ the transition process, so that those who self-identified as a particular gender would be officially treated as such. ‘Trans women are women,’ Miss Mordaunt said bluntly, in defiance of biological reality.
Yesterday she sought to distance herself from her role in the planned legislation. But she still left her position far from clear.
In the interests of openness and honesty, isn’t it time she came clean on where she stands on this most contentious of issues?
Defying the doomsters
Despite the prophecies of doom and Remainer hysteria over Brexit, the British economy seems to be doing rather well.
GDP jumped by 0.5 per cent in May and EU exports soared to an all-time high. Inflation is still a huge concern, of course, and there may be further shocks ahead. But these numbers prove two things.
Firstly, business will find a way to overcome any obstacles thrown up by Brussels in order to maintain a healthy trade with Europe.
And secondly, ignoring all the cost of living turmoil around them, the British people are keeping calm and carrying on – working hard for the benefit of themselves, their families and their country.