Johnson takes lead in U.K. race
Wins first ballot in bid to become prime minister
LONDON — Boris Johnson took a commanding lead Thursday in the contest to become Britain’s next prime minister, winning by far the largest share of support in the first round of voting by Conservative Party lawmakers.
Johnson, a former foreign secretary and leading Brexit campaigner, secured 114 of the 313 votes cast by Conservatives in the House of Commons. His successor as foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, trailed with 43 votes, followed by Environment Secretary Michael Gove with 37.
The ballot reduced the field of candidates from 10 to seven.
The result makes Johnson almost certain to be among the final two candidates who will be put to a vote of 160,000 party members nationwide.
Johnson thanked supporters and tweeted: “I am delighted to win the first ballot, but we have a long way to go.”
Lawmakers Esther Mcvey, Mark Harper and Andrea Leadsom failed to reach the threshold of 17 votes needed to get to the next round.
Prime Minister Theresa May quit as party leader last week after failing to secure Parliament’s backing for her Brexit divorce deal. Britain’s EU departure, originally scheduled for March 29, has been delayed to Oct. 31.
Johnson vowed Wednesday that as prime minister he would “get Brexit done,” either by renegotiating May’s rejected Brexit deal or by leaving the EU on Oct. 31 without an agreement.
“Delay means defeat” for the Conservatives, he said.
EU leaders are adamant that the agreement won’t be altered, and economists warn that a no-deal departure would cause major economic disruption for the U.K. and the EU economies.
After Thursday’s result was announced, Hunt tweeted: “The stakes have rarely been higher for our country. This serious moment calls for a serious leader.”
Conservative legislators will hold further elimination rounds of votes next week until two contenders remain. Those two names will be put to a postal ballot of party members, with the winner due to be announced the week of July 22.