Boris Johnson favourite to win race, Rory Stewart doubles votes

Rory Stewart doubles his support in the leadership race but Boris Johnson remains favourite.

Conservative Party leadership contenders (L-R) Boris Johnson, Britain's Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Britain's Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Michael Gove, Britain's Home Secretary Sajid Javid and Britain's International Development Secretary Rory Stewart take part in the BBC television debate.Picture: BBC.

Maverick Conservative MP Rory Stewart has doubled his support in the race to be Tory leader as Boris Johnson once again emerged as the clear favourite in the latest round of internal MP voting to determine the next British prime minister.

Tory MPs have just finished another round of voting to whittle down the candidates to two, whose names will be then put forward to the 160,000 members of the Tory party for a postal ballot.

In this morning’s round of results, the hard Brexiteer candidate Dominic Raab was forced out of the race, having secured just 30 votes from fellow Tory MPs, three short of the minimum required.

But while Johnson picked up an extra 12 votes from last Thursday’s voting round to be supported by 126 MPs, the race to be the second name on the member’s ballot people is still murky and too close to call.

Support for Environment Secretary Michael Gove (41, up four votes), and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt (46, up three votes) appears to have stalled. Home secretary Sajid Javid just scrapped across the line with 33 votes.

Instead it is International Development Secretary Stewart, who has been the major disrupter in the campaign, appealing to Remain voters and challenging Johnson’s aims to take the country out of the European Union by October 31, without or without a deal.

Stewart was one of Prime Minister Theresa May’s strident supporters, and his measured reasoning and wildcard voter appeal has given him increasing airtime and traction in the contest. He polled 37 votes, up 18 from last time.

But with Raab now out, his support is likely to swing behind Johnson, further enhancing the lead of the former foreign secretary, but also ensuring a nail biting race for the second position.

Mr Johnson has joined his remaining four rivals are currently taking part in a BBC debate, apologising for causing offence in the past with off the cuff comments including calling Muslim women “letter boxes.”

The next round of voting will take place on Thursday.