Conservative MP Rishi Sunak has been accused of using "dark arts" to rig the votes in his favour to win the run for Prime Minister.

Culture Secretary, Nadine Dorries has accused the former Chancellor of using "dirty tricks" in an attempt to skew the Conservative leadership contest.

Dorries wrote - "This is dirty tricks/a stitch up/dark arts. Take your pick. Team Rishi want the candidate they know they can definitely beat in the final two and that is @Jeremy_Hunt."

This comes as a response to a tweet by a commentator, Dan Hodges who revealed that Sir Gavin Williamson, the former Education Secretary, organised a "syphoning off of some votes" to aid Jeremy Hunt to get to the election.

Hodge adds - "One rival camp tells me Gavin Williamson (who is on Team Rishi) has organised syphoning off of some votes to let Jeremy Hunt get over the threshold."

Dorries added that Williamson was spearheading the operation on Sunak's behalf. A source close to Williamson, who is a former chief whip of the Conservative Party, denied the allegations.

A range of camps were pointing the finger at the former Chief Whip for allegedly trying to allocate votes to different camps in a bid to dilute support.

The remaining members in the run are Kemi Badenoch, Suella Braverman, Penny Mordaunt, Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, and Tom Tugendhat.

Sajid Javid and Rehman Christi withdrew from the contest just moments before the deadline.

Political Editor Beth Digby has described the claims are "complete nonsense".

She wrote on Twitter: "Update on the Williamson/Hunt story doing rounds. A source close to the Sunak campaign tells me it's 'complete nonsense."

"Mel Stride running the whipping op & that behaviour isn't happening. It's a dirty story being spread by anti-Rishi people'."

Digby does note that Sunak could be seen as "corrosive" as she outlines "You've just stood here and said Boris Johnson is a remarkable person, you don't want history to demonise him."

"But the fact is, the party just ousted him on the basis of conduct, probity, and causing division. And here you are, and I have to put it to you that you have a police fine over Partygate."