There are just six candidates remaining in the Tory leadership contest to become next Prime Minister.
The first round of voting by MPs on Thursday saw Mark Harper, Esther Mcvey and Andrea Leadsom all fall out of the contest, each receiving less than the 17 votes needed to progress to the second round.
Matt Hancock also pulled out of the contest on Friday, only receiving 20 votes in the first round. Speaking to the BBC, Mr Hancock said;
“I’ve been incredibly encouraged and humbled by the amount of support that I’ve had in this campaign.
“I’ve tried to make the argument about the values that the Conservative Party needs to hold dear, of free enterprise and support for a free society and being open and optimistic and enthusiastic about the future.”
“But the party clearly is looking for a candidate to deal with the here and now. I very much put myself forward as the candidate focused on the future.
“And so I’ve decided to withdraw from the race and instead see how best I can advance those values within the party and the big and difficult tasks we’ve got ahead.”
Boris Johnson won the first round of voting by Conservative MPs, receiving 114 votes.
The following candidates remain in the contest;
- Boris Johnson
- Jeremy Hunt
- Michael Gove
- Dominic Raab
- Sajid Javid
- Rory Stewart
A series of TV debates between the remaining candidates are set to take place over the coming week before more voting by Conservative MPs next week. Boris Johnson announced on Friday that he would commit to appearing in the televised debates on Sky and the BBC following pressure from his rivals. It remains unclear whether he will take part in a Channel 4 debate this Sunday, which other candidates have committed to.
Photo: Matt Hancock in 2013 | Credit: Policy Exchange [CC BY 2.0]
