Tory leadership contest: Theresa May 'pleased' with victory in first round

'There is a big job before us: to unite our party and the country, to negotiate the best possible deal as we leave the EU, and to make Britain work for everyone'

Tuesday 05 July 2016 23:58 BST

Theresa May arrives for a cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street in London (AP)

Theresa May has welcomed her victory in the first round of voting for the Conservative Party leadership.

Ms May, who comfortably won the first round with 165 votes, has said she is “pleased” with the result and hopes to "unite [the Conservative] party and the country" in the wake of the EU referendum.

The Home Secretary was followed by Andrea Leadsom with 66 votes, Michael Gove on 48 and Stephen Crabb on 34.

The former defence secretary Liam Fox was eliminated from the race after receiving only 16 votes from MPs.

Mr Crabb later withdrew from the leadership contest and announced he would back Ms May, saying she is the “only one candidate in a position to unite our party and lead a strong and cohesive government.”. Ms May is also supported by Dr Fox who commended her "experience".

The favourites in the Tory leadership race

Show all 5

1/5The favourites in the Tory leadership race

The favourites in the Tory leadership race

Theresa May

The longest-serving Home Secretary in 100 years took a back seat in the referendum campaign. While backing Remain, she did not hit the campaign trail and delivered only a handful of speeches and interviews, and was critical of many aspects of the EU, particularly the European Convention on Human Rights. Hedging her bets allows her to now emerge as a ‘unity’ candidate, and she is said to have been building up her back-room staff in preparation for a leadership bid. She has the significant advantage of having served in one of the great offices of state, in a steady and competent manner that has won her many admirers within party and the civil service. At a time of great instability, it may be that she is viewed as steady hand on the tiller. Mrs May does however, lack the ‘star quality’ of a Boris Johnson and party members may doubt her ability to connect with ordinary voters

PA

The favourites in the Tory leadership race

Michael Gove

The Justice Secretary may be able to set himself up as ‘the thinking Tory’s Brexit candidate’. Made an enormous political and personal decision to back Leave, taking on his old friend David Cameron. He performed well during the TV debates, and will be an admired figure among Eurosceptic Conservatives. Along with Johnson, he will be hindered by the fact that he led a very divisive campaign, characterised by ‘blue-on-blue’ action. MPs may also judge that he lacks Boris Johnson’s wider appeal with the electorate. Possibly more likely that he will settle for being his new bosom buddy Boris’s Chancellor

Getty

The favourites in the Tory leadership race

Stephen Crabb

Highly-rated Work and Pensions Secretary, raised on a council estate, so could reach out to non-traditional working class Tory voters

Getty Images

The favourites in the Tory leadership race

Andrea Leadsom

Minister of State for Energy at the Department of Energy and Climate Change is one of the most prominent figures in the Leave campaign, seen to have performed well in TV debates

Rex Features

The favourites in the Tory leadership race

Liam Fox

British Conservative MP and former Secretary of State for Defence, as sources said he will stand for the leadership of the Conservative Party

AFP/Getty

Following the result, Mrs May said: "I am pleased with this result, and very grateful to my colleagues for their support. There is a big job before us: to unite our party and the country, to negotiate the best possible deal as we leave the EU, and to make Britain work for everyone.

"I am the only candidate capable of delivering these three things as Prime Minister, and tonight it is clear that I am also the only one capable of drawing support from the whole of the Conservative Party."

Further rounds will take place on Thursday and the following Tuesday until only two contenders remain. The leader of the party – and Prime Minister – will be chosen from these two in a ballot of about 150,000 Conservative Party members, due to end on 9 September.

Independent declarations of support verified by the Press Association show Ms May, the longest serving Home Secretary in 100 years, has the backing of 130 MPs, putting her ahead of Ms Leadsom, the junior energy minister and Leave campaigner, who has 40.

The results came after a new polls revealed Ms May had opened up a commanding lead in the contest, indicating she could win by 32 points. The Times/YouGov poll is also encouraging for Mrs Leadsom who, it suggests, would beat rival Michael Gove convincingly in a final round run-off.

Additional reporting by Press Association

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