Johnson leads again in third round of voting for Tory leadership, Rory Stewart out

19 Jun, 2019 17:20 / Updated 5 years ago

Boris Johnson has topped the ballot in a third round of voting for the Tory leadership, with international development secretary Rory Stewart eliminated from the race after receiving just 27 votes from fellow MPs.

The latest vote leave just four candidates in the race to replace Theresa May and become the next British prime minister.

Johnson led the pack receiving 143 votes in Tuesday's vote. He is trailed by foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt who received 54 votes. Environment secretary Michael Gove and home secretary Sajid David also remain in the running.

Former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab was eliminated in the second round of voting on Tuesday.

The remaining candidates clashed during a BBC leadership debate on Tuesday night, with competing Brexit strategies taking up much of the hour-long face-off.

Voting for the Tory leadership will continue until only two candidates remain. The wider Conservative Party membership will then be given a vote to decide between the final two.

The final vote is expected in the week beginning July 22, giving the last candidates a few weeks of campaign time to convince the membership that they are best suited to replace May.

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