ONE FOOT IN NUMBER 10

Bulldozer Boris’s stunning victory in PM vote ++ Now rivals scramble to sabotage a coronation

BORIS Johnson had one foot in the door of 10 Downing Street last night after delivering a ‘knockout blow’ in the first round of the Tory leadership contest.

Allies of the former foreign secretary urged the ‘minnows’ in the contest to withdraw after he secured 114 votes from Tory MPs – more than a third of the Parliamentary party.

His tally was more than his three closest rivals – Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove and Dominic Raab – combined, suggesting Mr Johnson’s bid to finally reach No 10 may be unstoppable.

A Johnson ally accused the other three remaining candidates – Matt Hancock, Sajid Javid and Rory Stewart – of fighting ‘vanity’ campaigns, after they mustered just 62 votes between them, and said they should pull out.

‘Prolonging the contest is an act of self-indulgence that the party does not have time for,’ the source added.

One Cabinet minister described the result as a ‘knockout blow’, pointing out that Mr Johnson already has enough votes to make the final two. But last night he faced a fierce backlash from rivals determined to prevent him from becoming prime minister. One fellow

candidate vowed to ‘bring him down’ if he tried to suspend Parliament to take Britain out of the EU without a deal. Mr Johnson’s surge came as:

Mr Javid and Mr Hancock held talks about a merger to ensure Mr Johnson faces a ‘next generation’ candidate in the final run-off;

Eurosceptic former Brexit secretary Mr Raab was under pressure to abandon the race after securing 27 votes – and to switch his support to Mr Johnson;

Three candidates were knocked out in the first round of voting, with Esther McVey, Andrea Leadsom and Mark Harper all failing to get the 17 votes needed to progress;

Mr Hunt came a distant second with 43 votes, just ahead of Mr Gove on 37, whose support held up despite his campaign being overshadowed by the Mail’s revelation last week that he had taken cocaine at parties 20 years ago;

Mrs Leadsom – the most senior candidate to go out yesterday – was being courted by Mr Johnson, Mr Raab and Mr Javid;

Allies of Miss McVey suggested she and her supporters would throw in their lot with Mr Johnson in the coming days;

Mr Stewart, who has become the darling of the party’s liberal wing after starting the contest as a

‘A very strong showing’

rank outsider, was jubilant after receiving 19 votes, taking him through to the next round;

Theresa May refused to say which candidate she backed to be her successor, telling reporters: ‘That’s none of your business’;

Chancellor Philip Hammond wrote to the leadership candidates, asking them to pledge to keep reducing the national debt every year.

Mr Johnson was last night under mounting pressure to take part in TV debates being organised for Sunday and Tuesday.

Amber Rudd, who is backing Mr Hunt, said all the candidates had a ‘duty’ to participate in the debates as the party was effectively chosing Britain’s next leader.

But former chief whip Andrew Mitchell, who is backing Mr Johnson, said there was ‘no reason’ for him to participate in the debates because he was already ‘some way ahead’ of his rivals.

And with polls showing Mr Johnson is favoured by the Tory members who will ultimately decide the contest, many believe that only a catastrophic gaffe can derail Mr Johnson’s campaign

Mr Johnson said he was ‘delighted’ to win the first round, but added: ‘We have a long way to go.’ And Conor Burns, one of his long-time allies, also tried to warn against complacency, saying: ‘This was a very strong showing. He has now demonstrated support across all strands of opinion in the Conservative Party – he is the man who can unite the party. But this was just the first round – there is no complacency here.’

In a sign of Mr Johnson’s supporters’ confidence, there were claims last night that they had correctly predicted the exact number of votes he would receive and handed over a sealed envelope containing the number before the announcement.

Last night, rival campaign teams tried to mount a frantic bid to scoop up the backers of the knocked- out candidates – and shore up their own support.

Opponents of Mr Johnson insisted it was not too late to stop him, but the result failed to offer up a single obvious candidate they can unite around.

Mr Stewart, emboldened by his performance, launched an immediate attack on Mr Johnson, threatening to ‘bring him down’ if he attempted to suspend Parliament in order to push through a No Deal Brexit.

Scottish Secretary David Mundell, who backed Mr Hancock, said there was nothing that could persuade him to support Mr Johnson, adding: ‘ We are a long way from the conclusion of this race.’

Former Tory chancellor Kenneth Clarke said many MPs were ‘extremely fearful about the idea that [Mr Johnson] becomes prime minister’. He added: ‘This isn’t some TV reality show... we’re not choosing the winner of the Great British Bake Off – we’re talking about government and policies.

‘He doesn’t have any policies. I don’t actually think he knows what he would do to get us out of the Brexit crisis.’

Another senior Tory said: ‘ The fact is that two-thirds of MPs voted against Boris. The question now is who is best to take him on and stop him.’

But Sir Alan Duncan, a supporter of Mr Hunt, suggested the best chance of stopping Mr Johnson might now be a self- inflicted wound, adding: ‘ The person who might beat Boris is Boris himself.’

Mr Raab, who hoped to supplant Mr Johnson as the Eurosceptic candidate, secured 27 votes, ahead of Mr Javid on 23 and Mr Hancock on 20. Mr Raab described the result as a ‘good base to build on’.

It came as Mr Javid and Mr Hancock held secret talks on joining forces to try to reach the next stage of the race. The Cabinet ministers discussed forming a ‘dream ticket’, and although the talks were described as ‘inconclusive’, rumours swirled around Westminster last night that Mr Hancock could throw in the towel as early as today.

The action now moves to Tuesday when MPs will vote again and candidates will need 33 votes to continue. Further votes will take place on Wednesday and Thursday, when Tory grandees are confident they will have whittled the field down to two ahead of a run-off decided by the party’s 160,000 members.

‘This isn’t some TV show’

WIND the clock back a few months and Boris Johnson’s political career appeared to be going the way of the Dodo.

First, he raised a toast to Theresa May’s Brexit deal at Chequers – then abruptly quit as Foreign Secretary, complaining the blueprint ‘stuck in the throat’.

Next, he offensively claimed she had ‘wrapped a suicide vest’ around the British constitution. Finally, it emerged he had been having a torrid affair with a woman 24 years his junior.

Many fellow Conservative MPs detested his character flaws. Even close friends warned against challenging for the Tory crown, comparing him to an old boxer returning to the ring in search of past glories.

How he has confounded those naysayers! Today, Mr Johnson has one foot in No10.

He crushed his opponents in the first leadership round, romping home with 114 votes, guaranteeing a place in the last two. And he is clear favourite with the Tory grassroots, who have the crucial final say.

His nearest (albeit distant) rivals – Jeremy Hunt and Michael Gove – are under pressure to throw in the towel.

If the outcome is a foregone conclusion, some assert, it is pointless prolonging the navel- gazing when the country is desperately crying out for a fresh leader.

Yes, this argument has merit. But if doubts linger about Mr Johnson’s suitability for high office, shouldn’t he at least be tested in the heat of a leadership campaign?

Three years ago, Mrs May had a coronation. Painfully for the Tories, that meant the weaknesses which dogged her premiership were not revealed until it was far too late.

Tory activists, who haven’t had a say since 2005, would feel short-changed. Would they be inclined to stuff envelopes and knock on doors during an election battle if they were excluded? Also, a huge mandate would give him greater authority (hugely helpful when arch-Remain leadership rival Rory Stewart has already despicably threatened to lead a coup to block a No Deal Brexit).

Mr Johnson must expose his policies to scrutiny. He promises to leave the EU. Now he has the opportunity to show us how he’ll make it reality. No longer can he just rely on infectious optimism. Most importantly, if he is still gaffe-prone and ill-disciplined, we’d prefer to find out while he’s on the stump, not after he becomes Prime Minister.

For Britain’s future prosperity, that is critical. Because waiting in the wings is Jeremy Corbyn – and the nightmare of the UK being used as a test-tube for Socialism.