Tory leadership election: Boris Johnson wins first round by landslide as McVey, Leadsom and Harper all exit contest
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Your support makes all the difference.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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Chris Grayling, the transport secretary, has confirmed he voted for Boris Johnson in the first round.
Mr Grayling said the former foreign secretary was an "integral part" of the Leave campaign and was the "right man to take us through the Brexit process to sort this out".
He added: "He is also somebody who is internationalist, he is somebody who believes we should leave as good friends and neighbours.
"As you heard at the launch yesterday, he is somebody who says 'I want to leave with a deal, I want to leave on good terms', that's the right thing."
Mr Grayling said the UK had to continue to prepare for a no-deal Brexit and be willing to leave in October if "we haven't reached that good partnership for the future".
Commenting on media coverage of Tory leadership candidates taking drugs in the past, Chris Grayling, the transport secretary, said: "There is nothing that Jeremy Corbyn would like more than the Conservative Party spending a huge amount of time discussing what leadership candidates did when they were at university and I don't think we should indulge him by doing so.
"I think what matters is the future, not the past."
Asked if he had ever taken drugs before, Mr Grayling said: "No."
Boris Johnson has emerged as the 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 on 37.
Andrea Leadsom, Mark Harper and Esther McVey failed to win enough votes and have been knocked out of the Conservative leadership race.
Here are the results in full:
- Boris Johnson: 114 votes
- Jeremy Hunt: 43 votes
- Michael Gove: 37 votes
- Dominic Raab: 27 votes
- Sajid Javid: 23
- Matt Hancock: 20 votes
- Rory Stewart: 19 votes
- Andrea Leadsom: 11 votes (OUT)
- Mark Harper: 10 votes votes (OUT)
- Esther McVey: 9 votes (OUT)
Boris Johnson, who led the poll with 114 votes, tweeted: "Thank you to my friends and colleagues in the Conservative & Unionist Party for your support. I am delighted to win the first ballot, but we have a long way to go."
Rory Stewart tweeted: "THANK YOU - to all my colleagues who voted for me. We can win this. Realism, action, unity, trust. Thank you."
Esther McVey, who secured just nine votes and was eliminated from the leadership contest, said she would speak to the remaining candidates before deciding who to give her support.
In a statement, she said: "I am extremely grateful to those people who voted for me in this election and to the fantastic team who have supported my campaign.
"I am pleased to have had a platform to make the case for Blue Collar Conservatism, a clean break from the EU and the need to invest money into schools, policing and a proper pay rise for our public sector workers.
"I will speak to the remaining candidates to see who is best placed to deliver on that programme.
"I wish the remaining candidates well and I hope that all Conservative MPs will unite behind whoever wins this contest which is essential to prevent the disaster of a Marxist Government.
"Whoever becomes the new leader will certainly receive my support."
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