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Boris Johnson tops first round of voting for next UK PM
The seven candidates remaining in the fray are: Johnson (114), Michael Gove (37), Jeremy Hunt (43), Matt Hancock (20), Sajid Javid (23), Dominic Raab (27) and Rory Stewart (19).
Favourite Boris Johnson got the most votes – 114 – in the first round of voting by ruling Conservative MPs in the first phase of the two-phase election to decide the next party leader and the United Kingdom’s next prime minister to replace Theresa May.
Three of the 10 candidates who polled less than the threshold of 17 votes on Thursday were eliminated: Mark Harper (10), Andrea Leadsom (11) and Esther McVey (9). The second round next week will have a threshold of 33 votes, anyone polling less than that will be eliminated.
The seven candidates remaining in the fray are: Johnson (114), Michael Gove (37), Jeremy Hunt (43), Matt Hancock (20), Sajid Javid (23), Dominic Raab (27) and Rory Stewart (19).
In all, 313 party MPs cast their votes, organisers of the election announced in the House of Commons.
Conservative MPs will vote in further rounds until candidates with least votes are eliminated and two remain. The two will then face the second phase of the election, in which over 1.2 lakh members of the party will vote.
The result will be announced in the week beginning July 22.
The leadership election has been triggered by May stepping down as leader of the Conservative party following intense criticism of her approach to Brexit, an issue that has dominated the campaigns of the candidates.
