The U.K. Conservative Party's 1922 Committee announced Wednesday the results of the third round of voting by the party's members of Parliament in the race to replace outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May as its leader, narrowing the field from five candidates to four.
The big picture: Boris Johnson, a brash Brexiteer who has said he'd take the U.K. out of the EU without a deal if necessary, is firmly in control of the race and all but guaranteed a spot in its final two. This round of voting saw the elimination of Rory Stewart, an upstart in the race who used a savvy social media campaign to break through the noise.
The state of play: Conservative MPs are now voting in a series of ballots to whittle the field down to two. While previous votes required a level of minimum support from MPs to stay in, this round — and those going forward — will see the bottom candidate eliminated.
- The leadership campaign has so far been defined by candidates' views on Brexit as it will decide who will lead the next attempt to reach a deal — or not — for the U.K. to leave the EU.
The results from the third ballot (change from the second):
- Boris Johnson: 143 (+17)
- Jeremy Hunt: 54 (+8)
- Michael Gove: 51 (+10)
- Sajid Javid: 38 (+5)
- Rory Stewart: 27 (-10, eliminated)
Who's still in:
- Michael Gove: Currently serving as May's environment secretary, Gove previously ran for the Conservative leadership back in 2015. He has said he'd consider a no-deal Brexit if necessary, but is open to further delaying the deadline if progress on a deal is being made. While he's in the top-tier of candidates, he's currently facing press scrutiny over his admission of past cocaine use.
- Jeremy Hunt: He serves as May's foreign secretary and is widely considered the favorite as a moderate alternative to Boris Johnson. He believes he can renegotiate May's Brexit deal with the EU to stave off a no-deal Brexit.
- Sajid Javid: Currently serving as May's home secretary, Javid has promised that he'll push for Brexit as scheduled on October 31 — even without a deal. He's focused more on domestic issues than other candidates, promising to ease some of the U.K.'s immigration targets.
- Boris Johnson: He is the clear frontrunner in the race, having previously served as May's foreign secretary and the mayor of London. Known as a leading voice for the 2016 campaign to leave the EU, Johnson has promised he'd leave with or without a deal on Oct. 31 — but his bombastic, gaffe-ridden nature can be equally appealing and off-putting to certain sectors of the electorate.
What's next: The last two votes to determine the final two will take place on Thursday — before the formal leadership campaign kicks off in earnest on June 22. Registered Conservative Party members will then choose their favorite of the final two via a mail-in ballot with the winner announced during the week of July 22.
Go deeper: Everything you need to know about Brexit
