Boris Johnson can’t hide forever, for the country’s sake he needs to be held accountable

Rory Stewart has a vital role to play in testing Mr Johnson to his limits

He is playing a dangerous game by offering ‘all things to all people’ (EPA)

There is no doubt who emerged as the real winner in the second round of voting amongst Conservative MPs in the party’s leadership election. Rory Stewart, the rank outsider and a cabinet minister only since last month, again defied political gravity by doubling his vote to 37 MPs and securing a place in Wednesday’s third round.

True, Boris Johnson remains on course for Downing Street. But he had less to celebrate after Tuesday’s ballot: the number of MPs backing him rose by only 12 to 126, less than some supporters had hoped. Team Boris will be alarmed by the remarkable advance by Mr Stewart who, unlike the other candidates, has not pulled his punches when criticising Mr Johnson and would not serve in a government led by him.

The plain-speaking Mr Stewart has destabilised the rival candidates, who regarded him as a harmless maverick when he entered the race. He has spoken the inconvenient truth that Theresa May’s successor would be confronted by the same EU and parliamentary arithmetic which destroyed her premiership. He has rightly stood out against an economically damaging no-deal exit on 31 October.

Mr Stewart clearly has the vital momentum which eludes the others in the race to come second and win a place in the run-off among Tory party members – Jeremy Hunt and Michael Gove. There is speculation, denied by the Johnson camp, that it “lent” votes to Mr Hunt in the hope of ensuring he is in the run-off, and that some MPs defected from Mr Hunt to Mr Stewart. We will never know for sure because the MPs’ ballots are secret.

Dominic Raab, the hardline Brexiteer who raised the prospect of suspending parliament so he could force through no deal, was eliminated on Tuesday. His anti-democratic idea should be eliminated with him; Mr Johnson, who has sent mixed signals, should rule it out once and for all.

Mr Stewart might not make it all the way to Downing Street. Even in a political world full of surprises, it is difficult to imagine Tory members, a majority of whom support a no-deal departure, coming round to his stance on that or his support for Ms May’s withdrawal agreement.

But Mr Stewart has shown he is a force to be reckoned with. Whatever happens in the rest of the contest, he has already earnt a prominent role in his party. The Tories cannot afford not to deploy his ability to reach out way beyond the Westminster bubble, as they try to bounce back from dismal European and local election results last month. The party might be consumed by Brexit for now, but to remain in power it will have to appeal to liberal and pro-Remain voters. If Mr Johnson becomes prime minister, he should work hard to persuade Mr Stewart to serve under him by offering him a big job.

In the short term, Mr Stewart has a vital role role to play in holding Mr Johnson to account. The clear front-runner has assembled an impressive coalition of support from across his party, but there are growing signs he has made conflicting promises to different MPs. His “all things to all people” approach might be storing up him real problems for him.

The party, and the public, need to know whether Mr Johnson would merely tweak Ms May’s agreement, or whether he has pronounced it “dead”, as Eurosceptics claim. Would he definitely opt for no-deal on 31 October, risking a clash with parliament and a possible general election, or would he adopt a more realistic approach and timetable?

Let us hope that Mr Johnson, after deigning to take part in Tuesday’s BBC TV debate, will not revert to his strategy of hiding away to avoid scrutiny. He should be tested to the limits, for the sake of the country as well as his party. After all, there will be no hiding place for whoever becomes prime minister.