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Tory leadership hopefuls face next round of voting following TV debate

Conservative leadership hopefuls in the UK will face another round of voting today, with at least...
Stephen McNeice
Stephen McNeice

08.19 19 Jun 2019


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Tory leadership hopefuls face...

Tory leadership hopefuls face next round of voting following TV debate

Stephen McNeice
Stephen McNeice

08.19 19 Jun 2019


Share this article


Conservative leadership hopefuls in the UK will face another round of voting today, with at least one candidate to be eliminated from the contest.

With five candidates remaining, votes today and tomorrow will see candidates eliminated until only two remain.

Today's vote by Tory MPs will take place this afternoon, with results expected around 6pm.

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If all candidates reach the required threshold, the MP with the lowest number of votes will be knocked out.

When only two candidates remain, the general membership of the Conservative party will be balloted on who they want to become party leader and the next British prime minister.

Following the elimination of Dominic Raab in yesterday's second round, the remaining leadership hopefuls gathered for a BBC TV debate last night.

Brexit dominated the first half of the hour-long debate, with the five men offering their views on how to deal with the continuing impasse over the withdrawal agreement.

Frontrunner Boris Johnson and home secretary Sajid Javid insisted the October 31st deadline for leaving the EU could be achieved.

Mr Johnson argued: "If we allow 31 October to come and go as we let March come and go, I think the public would look on us with increasing mystification."

Rory Stewart - who enjoyed the biggest jump in support in yesterday's vote - suggested that Theresa May's existing withdrawal deal was the only way out of the bloc.

However, Michael Gove dismissed the deal as "cold porridge" - highlighting that it had already been rejected by MPs three times.

The debate format saw members of the public pose questions to the candidates.

The five men were asked about topics such as taxation and the climate crisis - with most of their answers receiving a frosty reception from those who asked the questions.

There was a rare moment of unity between the candidates when Mr Javid challenged the others to agree to an external investigation into the Conservative Party and Islamophobia.

He highlighted the "growing anti-Muslim hatred" in the UK - noting: "Wherever that is, including in political parties, it must be absolutely rooted out."

Main image: British Conservative party leadership contender Boris Johnson arrives for a live TV debate in central London. Picture by: Vudi Xhymshiti/AP/Press Association Images

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