Boris Johnson secures support of former Tory leadership rival Matt Hancock

Frontrunner 'almost certainly going to be our next prime minister', says health secretary

Matt Hancock has endorsed Boris Johnson’s bid to become prime minister in a major boost to the leadership frontrunner’s campaign.

The health secretary, who himself withdrew from the race on Friday, said his former rival was the best candidate to “deliver Brexit and then unite the country”.

“Boris has run a disciplined campaign and is almost certainly going to be our next prime minister,” he wrote in an article for The Times.

He added: “We need to unite behind him with a strong team that can bring the party together and then bring the country together.”

Mr Hancock’s endorsement of the former foreign secretary will be seen as a particular blow to Michael Gove, who had hoped to secure his support.

The health secretary, who campaigned to remain in the EU, last month laid into Mr Johnson for dismissing business groups’ fears about no-deal Brexit.

Mr Johnson was reported to have said “f*** business” when asked about the sector’s concerns, to which Mr Hancock responded: “To the people who say ‘f*** business’, I say f*** f*** business.”

But Mr Hancock said he had now set aside the pair’s differences and “reflected on what is needed in the national interest, and how the approaches of the candidates fit with my values”.

He wrote: “Boris is emphatic in public and in private that he wants to be a One Nation prime minister and bring the country together around an optimistic vision for the future. I will hold him to that.

“Boris and I have both used language our mothers might disapprove of in this debate. But I have been reassured, again emphatically, that a Boris administration will be pro-business, pro-enterprise, supportive of the aspirational and the international.”

Mr Hancock is the second former leadership contender to publicly endorse Mr Johnson, after Esther McVey announced her support on Saturday.

Tobias Ellwood, the defence minister, and Margot James, minister for digital and creative industries, both announced on Sunday they were backing Rory Stewart to be the next prime minister.

Ms James said Mr Stewart, who edged through to the second round of the leadership ballot with the backing of 19 MPs, had been "energetic, determined and embracing the centre ground" in the first televised debate.

Mr Johnson came under fire from rival Jeremy Hunt for refusing to attend the Channel 4 debate on Sunday evening.

Gesturing to the empty podium installed in Mr Johnson's place, the foreign secretary asked: "Where is Boris? If his team won’t allow him out to debate with five pretty friendly colleagues, how is he going to fare with 27 EU countries? He should be here.”

Mr Johnson is the clear favourite to succeed Ms May as prime minister, having won the votes of 114 Tory MPs in the first ballot on Thursday. Mr Hunt, who finished second, had 43.