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Boris Johnson leads Tory leadership race with 114 votes; Leadsom, McVey and Harper out – live Boris Johnson leads Tory leadership race with 114 votes; Leadsom, McVey and Harper out – live
(32 minutes later)
Here is the Green MP Caroline Lucas on the result of the first round of voting. Andrea Leadsom has tweeted this about her departure from the leadership race.
What a ride! Loved being back on the leadership campaign trail. Great effort by colleagues @Mark_J_Harper and @EstherMcVey1 and best of luck to the remaining candidates. Thank you to the many #TeamLeadsom supporters. - AL @andrealeadsom pic.twitter.com/490vidbMnh
My colleague Jessica Elgot has coined a new and very useful term for Tory MPs who back Rory Stewart – but are unwilling to come out and say so.
Do we have a new phenomenon - the "shy Rories"? @DavidGauke says he believes @RoryStewartUK did better than expected because there is "hidden support" from MPs who didn't declare publicly.
Michael Gove, the environment secretary, who came third, says it’s “all to play for”. He is probably the best debater in the House of Commons, and seems to be looking forward to the Channel 4 hustings on Sunday.
It’s all to play for. Very much looking forward to the Channel 4 and BBC debates - hope to see all other candidates there! #ReadyToLead #Gove4PM pic.twitter.com/iwwsG6zx1H
And this is from Dominic Raab, who came fourth today.
I’m honoured to have the support of so many brilliant colleagues today. This campaign is just getting started, and we've got a good base to build on. I'm the change candidate who can be trusted to deliver Brexit by October, and has the vision and energy to take Britain forward.
These are from Mark Harper, who was eliminated from the contest today.
Thank you to all of the people who supported me: colleagues in Parliament and the many voters who I met along the way. (1/3)
I continue to believe we need a credible plan that delivers Brexit, keeps our promises and then takes our country forwards. (2/3)
Only then can we restore trust with the British people and beat Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party at the next General Election. (3/3)
The odds on Boris Johnson becoming the next prime minister are now 1/5, down from 4/7 this morning, the betting website Oddschecker says. That’s an implied probability of 83.3% that he will win the Conservative leadership contest.
Here is the Green MP, Caroline Lucas, on the results of the first round of voting.
So a serial liar, racist and one of most incompetent ministers ever leads the poll in the #Toryleadership contestConservative MPs should hang their heads in shamehttps://t.co/RregBVMqyjSo a serial liar, racist and one of most incompetent ministers ever leads the poll in the #Toryleadership contestConservative MPs should hang their heads in shamehttps://t.co/RregBVMqyj
This is what Rory Stewart, the leadership candidate and international development secretary, said about bringing down Boris Johnson if he tried to prorogue parliament to facilitate a no-deal Brexit. This is what Rory Stewart, the international development secretary who is standing to become Conservative leader, said about bringing down Boris Johnson if he tried to prorogue parliament to facilitate a no-deal Brexit.
Asked what he would do, Stewart told Sky News:Asked what he would do, Stewart told Sky News:
Number one, let’s get Boris to be straight. Does he or does he not consider locking the doors of parliament to be acceptable? That is an unconstitutional, improper, really disturbing suggestion that you try to get something through by locking the doors of parliament. Answer us. I’ve been asking for a week, ‘Boris, are you going to lock the doors of parliament?’ If so, tell people, because we want to know what kind of leader or prime minister we are voting for.Number one, let’s get Boris to be straight. Does he or does he not consider locking the doors of parliament to be acceptable? That is an unconstitutional, improper, really disturbing suggestion that you try to get something through by locking the doors of parliament. Answer us. I’ve been asking for a week, ‘Boris, are you going to lock the doors of parliament?’ If so, tell people, because we want to know what kind of leader or prime minister we are voting for.
But he won’t be able to. I guarantee you, if he were to try, I and every other member of parliament will sit across the road in Methodist Central Hall and we will hold our own session of parliament and we will bring him down because you do not, ever, lock the doors on parliament in this country, or in any other country with any respect in the world. But he won’t be able to. I guarantee you, if he were to try, I and every other member of parliament will sit across the road in Methodist Central Hall and we will hold our own session of parliament and we will bring him down, because you do not, ever, lock the doors on parliament in this country, or in any other country with any respect in the world.
Dominic Raab is the Brexiter leadership candidate who has publicly floated the idea of proroguing parliament to facilitate a no-deal Brexit (because sending MPs away from the Commons would stop them legislating to prevent no-deal). Raab is not actively advocating this, but he says it would be a mistake to rule it out. Dominic Raab is the Brexiter leadership candidate who has publicly floated the idea of proroguing parliament to facilitate a no-deal Brexit (because sending MPs away from the House of Commons would stop them legislating to prevent a no-deal departure). Raab is not actively advocating this, but he says it would be a mistake to rule it out.
Johnson has said that he is not attracted to the idea of using prorogation in this way, but today’s Times reports that, in private talks with Tory Brexiters, he has not ruled out the idea. Here’s an extract from the Times story (paywall). Johnson has said he is not attracted to the idea of using prorogation in this way, but today’s Times reports that, in private talks with Tory Brexiters, he has not ruled out the idea. Here’s an extract from the Times story (paywall).
The former foreign secretary was said, however, to have privately assured the hard-Brexit European Research Group (ERG) of backbenchers that he would not explicitly rule it out.The former foreign secretary was said, however, to have privately assured the hard-Brexit European Research Group (ERG) of backbenchers that he would not explicitly rule it out.
Some Brexiteers have urged the next prime minister to end the parliamentary session — known as proroguing — so MPs are unable to stop a no-deal exit from the EU on October 31, which would require the Queen’s permission. Some Brexiteers have urged the next prime minister to end the parliamentary session – known as proroguing – so MPs are unable to stop a no-deal exit from the EU on October 31, which would require the Queen’s permission.
“He’s told the ERG he won’t take prorogation off the table and that he’s signed up to their plan for a ‘managed no-deal’,” a source on another campaign said.“He’s told the ERG he won’t take prorogation off the table and that he’s signed up to their plan for a ‘managed no-deal’,” a source on another campaign said.
A senior Brexiteer confirmed last night that Mr Johnson had discussed the option of suspending parliament at a private meeting late last week. Another said: “I didn’t hear him rule it out.”A senior Brexiteer confirmed last night that Mr Johnson had discussed the option of suspending parliament at a private meeting late last week. Another said: “I didn’t hear him rule it out.”
The idea of getting a shadow parliament to sit in Methodist Central Hall is not as novel an idea as it sounds. In 2002 the Labour MP Graham Allen investigated the idea of hiring Church House at Westminster for an informal recall of parliament to discuss the threat of war with Iraq. In the event Tony Blair did recall parliament, and Allen’s plan was dropped. The idea of getting a shadow parliament to sit in Methodist Central Hall is not as novel an idea as it sounds. In 2002, the then Labour MP Graham Allen investigated the idea of hiring Church House at Westminster for an informal recall of parliament to discuss the threat of war with Iraq. In the event, Tony Blair did recall parliament, and Allen’s plan was dropped.
Here is my colleague Rafael Behr on Boris Johnson.Here is my colleague Rafael Behr on Boris Johnson.
Boris Johnson has an unfair advantage in the leadership race … there’s two of him | Rafael BehrBoris Johnson has an unfair advantage in the leadership race … there’s two of him | Rafael Behr
And here is an extract.And here is an extract.
One of the two Johnsons served as mayor of London from 2008-2016. He has liberal, metropolitan instincts – broadly pro-immigration, old-fashioned in his use of idiom, but a moderniser at heart. Then there is 2016-2019 Johnson, figurehead of the Vote Leave campaign, the ultimate Brexit-booster. He is a more aggressive, divisive figure – a partisan of nationalistic culture wars who has consorted with Steve Bannon. Both Johnsons are dispensing wild promises to Tory MPs behind closed doors. The self-styled “One Nation” Conservatives and rightwing ultras each seem to think the other side is being taken for a ride, which suggests they all are. One of the two Johnsons served as mayor of London from 2008-2016. He has liberal, metropolitan instincts – broadly pro-immigration, old-fashioned in his use of idiom, but a moderniser at heart. Then there is 2016-2019 Johnson, figurehead of the Vote Leave campaign, the ultimate Brexit-booster. He is a more aggressive, divisive figure – a partisan of nationalistic culture wars who has consorted with Steve Bannon. Both Johnsons are dispensing wild promises to Tory MPs behind closed doors. The self-styled “one-nation” Conservatives and rightwing ultras each seem to think the other side is being taken for a ride, which suggests they all are.
Matt Hancock surpassed expectations, a spokesman for his campaign said. The spokesman went on:Matt Hancock surpassed expectations, a spokesman for his campaign said. The spokesman went on:
MPs have responded well to Matt’s energetic and positive campaign. His pro-business message, his focus on taking the fight to Corbyn and the Lib Dems not just the Brexit party, and his argument that the Tory party “need a leader for the future, not just for now” has gone down well with colleagues. MPs have responded well to Matt’s energetic and positive campaign. His pro-business message, his focus on taking the fight to Corbyn and the Lib Dems, not just the Brexit party, and his argument that the Tory party “need a leader for the future, not just for now”, has gone down well with colleagues.
Here is a graph with the results.Here is a graph with the results.
Full results of the Conservative leadership election - round 1Full results of the Conservative leadership election - round 1
Here is Jeremy Hunt commenting on the result.Here is Jeremy Hunt commenting on the result.
Delighted to come second today. We face a crucial choice: who can negotiate some better choices than the bad ones we face. The stakes have rarely been higher for our country. This serious moment calls for a serious leader. #hastobehuntDelighted to come second today. We face a crucial choice: who can negotiate some better choices than the bad ones we face. The stakes have rarely been higher for our country. This serious moment calls for a serious leader. #hastobehunt
“Serious leader” is, of course, code for “not Boris Johnson”.“Serious leader” is, of course, code for “not Boris Johnson”.
This is from Rory Stewart.This is from Rory Stewart.
This is amazing - we’re getting some real momentum here. Thank you so, so much. Let’s push this through to the end. It’s increasingly clear it’s me against Boris. And let’s win #rorywalks pic.twitter.com/YvvAf8oEE5This is amazing - we’re getting some real momentum here. Thank you so, so much. Let’s push this through to the end. It’s increasingly clear it’s me against Boris. And let’s win #rorywalks pic.twitter.com/YvvAf8oEE5
Here is a Labour response to the Rory Stewart interview.Here is a Labour response to the Rory Stewart interview.
If only there had been an opportunity to stop this potentially happening yesterday, which he originally said he’d vote for, before swiftly changing his mind and voting against? https://t.co/Fs3eK7kd6GIf only there had been an opportunity to stop this potentially happening yesterday, which he originally said he’d vote for, before swiftly changing his mind and voting against? https://t.co/Fs3eK7kd6G
Rory Stewart has just given an extraordinary interview, PoliticsHome’s Kevin Schofield and BuzzFeed’s Alex Wickham report. I will post the quotes in a moment.Rory Stewart has just given an extraordinary interview, PoliticsHome’s Kevin Schofield and BuzzFeed’s Alex Wickham report. I will post the quotes in a moment.
Woah. Rory Stewart says that if PM Boris Johnson prorogued Parliament to force through a no-deal Brexit "we will hold our own session of Parliament across the road in Methodist Central Hall and we will bring him down".Woah. Rory Stewart says that if PM Boris Johnson prorogued Parliament to force through a no-deal Brexit "we will hold our own session of Parliament across the road in Methodist Central Hall and we will bring him down".
Rory Stewart on Sky: "If Boris Johnson dared to lock the doors of parliament we would bring him down". That TV debate is gonna be something now Rory is thru...Rory Stewart on Sky: "If Boris Johnson dared to lock the doors of parliament we would bring him down". That TV debate is gonna be something now Rory is thru...
Rory Stewart told BBC News that he was “completely over the moon” at securing 19 votes, saying that a new poll on the ConservativeHome website putting him as the second choice to Boris Johnson among Tory members “must have been what turned around the final few”.
Asked how he could build on the still relatively low number, to reach the 33 needed to progress past Tuesday’s second round, he said:
You build on it by just saying this message, which is about being radical, about being brave in the centre ground, about getting out and listening to people, is extraordinarily popular. None of these other candidates at the moment are really tapping into this.
Stewrart added:
What I’m discovering is that a Conservative message, delivered properly, and if you listen in the right way, is incredibly popular, and that’s what I have to get across to colleagues.
On Brexit, Stewart said he wanted to get across his message by asking colleagues to focus “on the practical issues – how do we get this done”, saying that Johnson’s Brexit strategy was very hazy.
Amber Rudd, who is backing Jeremy Hunt, denied that it was disappointing to see him so far behind Boris Johnson.
“Not at all,” she told the BBC. “He came a good second, he got more than Matt and Saj combined, and that’s what we were after – a clear lead in second place. It’s only the first round, there’s a few more rounds to go. I’m delighted.”
While Johnson was well ahead, Rudd said, once the race was down to a final two it would “start again” in hustings to members in which “anything can happen”.
Here are the key points.
Boris Johnson is the runaway winner of the first round - and is now looking unstoppable for next prime minister. With 114 votes, he is 31 votes ahead of the declared supporters he had this morning and well above the threshold of 105 he needs to ensure he makes it into the final two for the ballot of party members. For him not to get on the final ballot, he would have to start losing quite a number of MPs - which is almost unthinkable. Of course, in a campaign amongst the membership he could be overtaken by a surprise outsider, but this will be a short campaign (not a months-long contest, like the 2005 that allowed David Cameron to come from behind) and postal ballots will be going out soon after the parliament phase of the process ends next week. In postal ballots people often vote early, and there is clear evidence that a majority of members back Johnson. (See 9.46am.)
Jeremy Hunt came second - but it was a poor second (he had fewer than half the votes Johnson had) and he was only six votes ahead of Michael Gove, in third place. Hunt had six more votes that he had declared supporters this morning, and Gove just three more. The main interest over the next week will be which of those two wins the contest to take on Johnson. Hunt is probably favourite, but the two men are close enough for Gove to still be in the running.
Dominic Raab, who came fourth, Sajid Javid, who came fifth, and Matt Hancock, who came sixth, are probably all now effectively out of contention. Not one of them reached 33 votes - the threshold that will be needed to survive after the next ballot, on Tuesday. They may decide to fight on (there are 30 votes from candidates who have been eliminated to be redistributed) but they will all have to decide whether it makes sense to continue, or whether they would do better packing in now and pledging support to a rival camp (on the basis that the sooner one gets on board, the better the rewards might be). Raab’s campaign was probably doomed as soon as Johnson tied up a large change of the ERG (European Research Group) vote. Javid, who holds one of the top four jobs in cabinet and at one point was seen as a favourite to succeed Theresa May, will be wondering where it all went wrong. (“Strong fifth”, to quote one of his supporters - see 1.28pm - is an oxymoron.) And Hancock was always a longshot.
Rory Stewart will probably be pleasantly surprised with this performance, given that he is standing in a Tory leadership contest on a non-Tory platform. This result will give him a slot in the Channel 4 hustings on Sunday. His non-conventional, bohemian campaigning style has struck a chord with the liberal commentariat (aka Twitter), but it is hard to see him picking up many more votes.
Andrea Leadsom, Mark Harper, and Esther McVey have all been eliminated, coming 8th, 9th and 10th respectively. There does not come as a great surprise about this, but the fact that the only two women in the contest did so badly does not say a lot for the party’s egalitarianism. Only three years ago Leadsom was runner up in the leadership contest, and today’s result confirms how much her political stock has fallen since then. Many of the Leadsom and McVey (20 in all) will probably go to Johnson.
As the results were announced today, I was one of the people made to sit longingly in the corridor while results were announced as I wasn’t signed up to go in.But I did as a result get to watch the results go live in the corridor with an influential Boris Johnson supporter. He laughed at Jeremy Hunt’s result – 43 votes – saying,“Well that’s embarrassing isn’t it!”
He said that the Johnson team hadn’t been bluffing when they estimated fewer votes for Boris (he got 114) but: “It wasn’t a bluff his result was past expectations but obviously there is still a long way to go.”
Robert Halfon, the Harlow MP who is supporting Sajid Javid, said the home secretary had come in a “strong fifth place”.
“It’s all to play for,” he told reporters after the vote.
The public figures were 17 to 19 votes, and Jajid got 23. The momentum’s building up. We’ve got Ruth Davidson on our side, so we’re really happy.
Obviously Boris Johnson is well ahead, but Sajid has come up. He’s clearly a very strong candidate, building up momentum all week.
Esther McVey has issued this statement.
I am extremely grateful to those people who voted for me in this election and to the fantastic team who have supported my campaign.
I am pleased to have had a platform to make the case for Blue Collar Conservatism, a clean break from the EU and the need to invest money into schools, policing and a proper pay rise for our public sector workers.
I will speak to the remaining candidates to see who is best placed to deliver on that programme.
I wish the remaining candidates well and I hope that all Conservative MPs will unite behind whoever wins this contest which is essential to prevent the disaster of a Marxist government.
Whoever becomes the new leader will certainly receive my support.
Gillan says seven candidates are eligible to go through to the next round, and three of them - Mark Harper, Andrea Leadsom and Esther McVey - have been eliminated.
Cheryl Gillan, the joint acting chairman of the 1922 Committee, is now reading out the results.
All 313 Tory MPs voted, she says. There were no spoilt ballot papers.
Boris Johnson - 114
Jeremy Hunt - 43
Michael Gove - 37
Dominic Raab - 27
Sajid Javid - 23
Matt Hancock - 20
Rory Stewart - 19
Mark Harper - 10
Andrea Leadsom - 11
Esther McVey - 9
Only 2 leadership candidates in room for this ballot announcement: Raab and Stewart. Make of that what you will.
Leadership candidates starting to arrive for leadership count. Dominic Raab and Rory Stewart here. Boris Johnson 'not coming', according to a supporter: 'He's holed up in his office'