Tory leadership election: Boris Johnson wins first round by landslide as McVey, Leadsom and Harper all exit contest

Follow the latest updates from Westminster, as they happened

Conservative leadership bid: Results of first ballot

Boris Johnson has emerged as the clear frontrunner in the first round of votes for the new Tory leader and prime minister.

The former foreign secretary won 114 votes, followed by Jeremy Hunt on 43 and Michael Gove with 37.

Andrea Leadsom, Mark Harper and Esther McVey failed to win enough votes, meaning they have all been knocked out of the Conservative leadership race.

To follow events as they unfolded, see our live coverage below

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Key Points

• Boris Johnson wins commanding victory in first leadership ballot
• ... as Esther McVey, Andrea Leadsom and Mark Harper eliminated
• Rory Stewart vows to 'bring down' leadership rival Johnson
• New Final Say Brexit march to be held in the autumn
• Parliament may have run out of options to block no deal, says Sir Oliver Letwin

[13 June 2019 10:02 · Samuel Osborne]

Boris Johnson has the support of over half of Conservative Home readers, a straw poll of its readers has found.

The former foreign secretary got 53 per cent of the vote, while Rory Stewart came in at second place, but more than 40 points behind Mr Johnson.

He was followed by Dominic Raab, Michael Gove, Jeremy Hunt and Sajid Javid. 

[13 June 2019 10:09 · Samuel Osborne]

Former health minister Steve Brine was first in the queue to cast his ballot.

He told the Press Association he was voting for Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary.

[13 June 2019 10:21 · Samuel Osborne]

As MPs voted, Andrea Leadsom, a leadership contender and former leader of the House of Commons, said: "I'm feeling very positive and optimistic and hopeful that I will be getting enough support from colleagues to go through to the next round."

[13 June 2019 10:26 · Samuel Osborne]

The BBC's Nick Eardley has a tally based on publicly declared support showing Boris Johnson is far ahead with the support of 83 MPs.

He is followed by Jeremy Hunt on 34 and Michael Gove on 32.

Sajid Javid and Matt Hancock narrowly passed the 17-vote threshold, but Rory Stewart, Mark Marper, Esther McVey and Andrea Leadsom fell below.

[13 June 2019 10:32 · Samuel Osborne]

Asked who he thought would be eliminated today, Jacob Rees-Mogg, who is backing Boris Johnson, said: "Mark Harper doesn't seem in a very strong position.

"The bottom one goes and anyone under 5 per cent goes. So, it could be more than one who's knocked out."

[13 June 2019 10:38 · Samuel Osborne]

Esther McVey, a leadership candidate and former work and pensions secretary said: "I'm the outsider, I know that."

Asked who she would urge her supporters to back if she is eliminated, Ms McVey said: "I'm not answering that yet."

[13 June 2019 10:43 · Samuel Osborne]

Asked who he voted for, Michael Gove, environment secretary and leadership contender said: "The best candidate."

[13 June 2019 10:47 · Samuel Osborne]

Rory Stewart tweeted he has been re-reading Irish poet Seamus Heaney's The Cure at Troy, and proceeded to recite it.

[13 June 2019 10:50 · Samuel Osborne]

Theresa May has refused to say who she voted for.

"That's none of your business," the prime minister joked as she left the committee room in the Commons where the ballot is being held.

[13 June 2019 10:56 · Samuel Osborne]

Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary, has said today "felt a bit like the morning of my wedding".

"Something big is going to change but don't quite know how it will unfold," he tweeted.