TORY MPS WILL vote in the second round of the party’s leadership contest today as the race to succeed Theresa May continues.
Voting will take place in the British parliament and the BBC reports that a result is expected after 6pm.
Candidates will be eliminated this evening if they come last or fail to secure at least 33 votes.
Boris Johnson remains the frontrunner among the six remaining candidates after topping the first ballot with 114 votes. In the last ballot, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt placed second with 43 votes, while Environment Secretary Michael Gove came third on 37 votes.
Former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab – one of the most vociferous advocates for leaving open the possibility of a no-deal Brexit - and Home Secretary Sajid Javid received 27 and 23 votes respectively and are potentially in danger of being eliminated today.
International Development Secretary Rory Stewart, who has positioned himself as the “anti-Boris” candidate, last night received the high-profile backing of Cabinet Office Minister and Theresa May’s de facto deputy David Lidington.
However, Stewart only received 19 votes in the first ballot and it remains to be seen if he has secured enough support to stay in the running.
More ballots will take place later this week and will continue until only two candidates are left. These two candidates will then fight to secure the backing of 160,000 Conservative party members, with postal voting beginning on 22 June.
Any candidates remaining the race after today’s vote will appear in a BBC debate this evening at 8pm. Johnson, who ducked out of appearing on last Sunday’s hustings on Channel 4, is due to appear.
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