Tory leadership result: Boris Johnson tops poll as Dominic Raab eliminated

Momentum is with Rory Stewart, who almost doubled his vote tally to shoot into fourth place

The field in the race to succeed Theresa May as Conservative leaders and prime minister has been reduced to five, as Brexit hardliner Dominic Raab was eliminated and Boris Johnson consolidated his commanding lead at the head of the pack.

But the shock result of the second round of voting by Tory MPs at Westminster was the breakthrough of early outsider Rory Stewart, who almost doubled his tally to shoot into fourth place with 37.

Mr Stewart - regarded as a rank outsider when he announced his intention to stand - promised there was "more to come" as he prepared to line up against the other surviving contenders in a BBC TV debate where he was taking on Mr Johnson head to head for the first time.

The Brexit figurehead's 126-vote total was 12 up from the 114 he took in last week's first round and put him 80 votes clear of foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt on 46.

Mr Hunt failed to build momentum on his second-place finish last week, gaining just three new supporters. And environment secretary Michael Gove put on four votes to hold on to third place with 41.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid clung on by the skin of his teeth, gaining the bare minimum 33 votes required to stay in the battle.

A spokesman said he would "fight on", and his campaign team immediately posted a tweet confirming he would take part in the BBC debate.

There was speculation at Westminster that Mr Johnson's campaign chief Gavin Williamson may have asked some supporters to "lend" their votes to Javid in the hope of keeping him in the contest for another day and preventing his backers switching to Stewart in the next round.

One MP said: "That's what I've heard. It's hard to believe that Boris only picked up 13 more votes from the 50-odd available. But Sajid won't last much longer anyway, so it's all a bit pointless."

However, Mr Javid's team insisted that he had received the number of votes they had been expecting. A source said: "He got there because he was bloody hard-working and had the guts to go on the Today programme this morning. The idea that the home secretary can only get to this round by being lent votes by a former chief whip is for the birds."

Mr Stewart's camp said only: "We owe it to the members to have a clean race and a fair race."

Mr Stewart's jubilant team hailed a "fantastic" result for the international development secretary, who was seen as a no-hoper by many at Westminster when he announced his intention to fight for the succession to Theresa May earlier this year.

After a widely-praised performance in TV hustings at the weekend and a well-regarded campaign of cameraphone chats with voters on social media, the former soldier and diplomat gained 18 extra votes, having secured the endorsement of senior centre-ground figures including Ms May's effective deputy David Lidington.

Rory Stewart shot into fourth place (EPA)

A source close to Stewart said the result showed that "his momentum is continuing to build and he can now go all the way to the final two" alongside Mr Johnson, providing a "clear choice" for the Conservative members who will make the final decision in a postal ballot next month.

The international development secretary himself said he was feeling "energised" and believed there was "more to come".

A source in Mr Johnson's campaign said: "We are happy with the result. Support for Boris continues to grow. He now has 40 per cent of the vote from all across the Conservative Party."

Mr Raab's campaign had been dogged by Mr Johnson's success in winning the support of high-profile Brexiteers including defeated leadership contenders Esther McVey and Andrea Leadsom and European Research Group leaders Jacob Rees-Mogg and Steve Baker. The former Brexit secretary, who had threatened to shut down parliament to prevent MPs blocking a no-deal outcome, finished last on 30 votes, three short of the required minimum.

Raab supporter Andrea Jenkyn announced she was switching her vote Johnson in the next round, as many of his backers are expected to do.

Announcing the result in a Commons committee room, the acting co-chair of the Tory backbench 1922 Committee, Dame Cheryl Gillan revealed that all 313 Tory MPs voted and no ballot papers were spoiled. This means that Ms May cast her ballot, though she has said she will not reveal which candidate she backed.

Mr Gove's campaign said his result was "encouraging".

"Michael has gained support and closed the gap to second," said a campaign source. "It's still all to play for."

The environment secretary released a video on social media, in which he said he was "very pleased to have made it through and closed the gap to second". In a message putting his case to be selected above Mr Hunt or Mr Stewart for the second slot on the final ballot paper, the former Vote Leave leader added: "The final two should be Brexiteers who are able to take on Corbyn, unite the party and deliver Brexit."

Further rounds of voting on Wednesday will successively eliminate the least popular candidates until only two remain to go forward to the ballot of around 160,000 members in the country. The new leader and prime minister is due to be announced in the week of 22 July.

There were early indications that Mr Raab's failed bid would not stop him being considered for a future seat at the Cabinet table.

Mr Javid paid tribute to his "professionalism, drive and fresh ideas", adding: "He has a major role to play with any new PM helping Britain's young people get a fair shot."

And ERG vice-chairman Mark Francois, who backed Mr Johnson, said: "In a sense it's a shame to lose Dominic Raab because he is an extremely capable politician.

"I hope whoever wins - and I hope it's Boris - will find a good place for Dom in his Cabinet."