Boris Johnson tops first round of Conservative leadership ballot

Boris Johnson has topped the ballot in the first round of voting in the Conservative leadership race.

The former Foreign Secretary received 114 votes from fellow Tory MPs.

The amount of votes in his favour almost guarantee him a place in the final two.

His nearest competitor was Jeremy Hunt who attracted 43 votes, with Michael Gove winning 37.

Eliminated from the race at this stage are Mark Harper, Esther McVey and Andrea Leadsom.

Leadership hopefuls needed at least 17 votes in the secret ballot to go through to the second round.

Votes:

Johnson: 114
Hunt: 43
Gove: 37
Raab: 27
Javid: 23
Hancock: 20
Stewart: 19
Leadsom: 11
Harper: 10
McVey: 9

— The Sunday Post (@Sunday_Post) June 13, 2019

It means the next phase will have a list of seven candidates – all male.

A second ballot will take place on June 18, with candidates facing a TV debate on Channel Four two days prior.

Candidates will need 33 votes to go through to subsequent rounds.