Tories to pick final 2 in battle for PM
Three jostle to join Johnson on ballot
LONDON: Conservative MPs began voting yesterday to finally decide who will join Boris Johnson in the final two battling to become Britain’s next prime minister, with three contenders jostling for the second spot.
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Environment Secretary Michael Gove and Interior Minister Sajid Javid are vying to join Mr Johnson on the ballot paper to be put before 160,000 Conservative Party members.
Two rounds of voting are scheduled to whittle the four down to two, though Mr Johnson, barring a spectacular collapse in support, already has more than enough backing to ensure he cruises through.
The last two will then face 16 hustings meetings around the country and two televised debates before Tory party members send in their postal votes to pick a new leader.
The winner will be announced in the week beginning July 22 and then take over from Theresa May as prime minister.
In Wednesday’s third ballot of 313 MPs in the governing, centre-right Conservative Party, former foreign secretary Mr Johnson came first with 143 votes, ahead of Mr Hunt on 54, Mr Gove on 51 and Mr Javid on 38.
International development minister Rory Stewart was eliminated with 27 votes.
Yesterday’s fourth ballot to whittle them down to three opened at 10am (4pm Thailand time).
If no candidate then chose to withdraw, MPs were scheduled to vote again between 3.30pm and 5.30pm.
Yesterday’s double round of voting will see candidates frantically scrambling for their colleagues’ support — and arm-twisting galore.
Before Wednesday’s vote, Mr Stewart said he had been speaking to Mr Gove about potentially joining forces.
Mr Hunt has come second to former London mayor Johnson in the first three rounds and pledged: “If I make it to the final I will put my heart and soul into giving him the contest of his life.”
Mr Gove said: “I’m determined to make this a contest of ideas.”
Home Secretary Mr Javid was upbeat, saying: “We can do this!”
Former interior minister Amber Rudd yesterday called on Mr Johnson to denounce reports that some of his supporters were lending their support to other candidates in order to get his less favoured rivals eliminated.
“This is a serious moment,” she told BBC Radio. “We don’t need that sort of game playing going on in parliament.”
His supporters were reported by the Daily Telegraph to be plotting to eliminate Mr Gove in revenge for bringing down Mr Johnson’s previous bid to become prime minister in 2016.
Bookmakers say Mr Johnson has a 10 in 11 chance of becoming the next Conservative leader.
Ms May stepped down as Conservative leader earlier this month over her failure to deliver Brexit on time, although she remains prime minister until her successor is chosen.
MPs rejected the divorce deal she struck with Brussels three times, shredding her authority.
Ms May has not revealed who she has voted for. She has repeatedly told journalists “none of your business!” after voting and said she had not even told her husband.
Finance minister Philip Hammond has also kept mum on who he is backing.
All four candidates say they will threaten to leave the EU with “no deal” in a bid to change the withdrawal agreement text, which Brussels has so far said will not be reopened.
Mr Johnson and Mr Javid insist Britain must leave on the twice-delayed October 31 exit date.
Mr Hunt and Mr Gove, however, are prepared to delay further if a divorce deal with Brussels seems to be closer.
In his annual Mansion House speech to London banking bigwigs, Chancellor of the Exchequer Hammond will say he cannot imagine any Conservative government “actively pursuing a no-deal Brexit”.
According to his Treasury ministry, he will say it would risk breaking up the United Kingdom, Britain’s economic prosperity and triggering a general election that could put Jeremy Corbyn, the main opposition Labour Party’s left-wing leader, into Downing Street.