Johnson, Hunt will battle to be prime minister
LONDON » Boris Johnson took a step closer to becoming the next British prime minister Thursday after he topped the ballot from Conservative lawmakers in the first phase of the Tory leadership contest.
Johnson, Britain’s former foreign secretary, now will go head to head with Jeremy Hunt, the current foreign secretary, over the next month before Conservative Party members vote on which one of the two will become the next leader of the party and prime minister. A decision is expected the week beginning July 22.
Johnson c ement e d his position as the overwhe lming favorite after he won a whopping 160 of 313 votes cast by Conser vative lawmakers. During the early stages of the contest it became clear that Johnson was so far out in front that the real battle in this phase would be for second place. Hunt narrowly beat Michael Gove, the environment secretary, by two votes.
The ruling Conservative Party is seeking a new leader after Theresa May resigned after she failed at her No. 1 job — to deliver Brexit — after nearly three years in the job.
The two remaining candidates in the race now will take part in a series of campaign stops around the country. The Conservative Party members — about 160,000 people — then will make the final call.
Johnson is one of Britain’s best- known politicians. He is beloved by supporters who say he is a lovable rogue who can inject optimism into British politics and is the best person to deliver the Brexit he campaigned for during the 2016 EU referendum. His critics say he has a loose relationship with the truth and will say almost anything to further his career.