Boris Johnson has comfortably won the opening round of the Conservative leadership contest, as the frontrunner easily cleared the first hurdle to becoming Britain's next prime minister.

The former foreign secretary won the backing of 114 of the party's 313 MPs.

He tweeted after the result: "Thank you to my friends and colleagues in the Conservative & Unionist Party for your support. I am delighted to win the first ballot, but we have a long way to go."

Jeremy Hunt finished second on 43, while Michael Gove was third with 37.

They were followed by Dominic Raab (27), Sajid Javid (23), Matt Hancock (20) and Rory Stewart (19).


But it was bad news for Andrea Leadsom (11), Mark Harper (10) and Esther McVey (9), as they failed to get the 5% of votes (17 MPs) to get through the first round.

More candidates could well withdraw from the race in the coming days as they reassess their chances in the wake of this result.

Further ballots will take place next week, with the crowded field whittled down to two by the end of the month.

Mr Hunt said he was "delighted" to finish second and stressed a "serious" leader was required - an apparent dig at Mr Johnson.

"We face a crucial choice: who can negotiate some better choices than the bad ones we face," he said.

Moment Boris Johnson tops first round ballot

"The stakes have rarely been higher for our country. This serious moment calls for a serious leader."

Mr Gove, who saw his campaign rocked by his cocaine admission, said in a video posted on Twitter: "I now want to make sure that we have a proper debate about ideas.

"I believe that I've got the policies that can transform this country for the better.

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"I've got the experience of delivery that can make sure that we have a brighter future and I've got the range of support which will enable all of us in this country to come together."

Mr Raab indicated he would not be dropping out, saying: "This campaign is just getting started and we've got a good base to build on.

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"I'm the change candidate who can be trusted to deliver Brexit by October and has the vision and energy to take Britain forward, and beat Jeremy Corbyn."

Mr Stewart, who narrowly made it through to the next round, said it was a "very open race" to get to the final two and he would be reaching out to "every single colleague" ahead of the second ballot.

He said: "This is now neck and neck going into the next round and for somebody who passionately believes that politics is about listening and who made a difficult decision to start this campaign not in this place but outside listening to people, I feel really inspired and encouraged and desperate to do more for the people who are supporting me out there."

Mr Hancock wrote on Twitter: "Thanks so much for the fantastic support - terrific to have more votes from colleagues than I could have hoped for #letsmoveforward."

Ms McVey, meanwhile, said she would be speaking to the remaining candidates before deciding who to give her backing to.

The result means Mr Johnson is well on course to make it to the final two, which will involve a vote among the party's 160,000 members.

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Mr Johnson is popular with the Tory grassroots - and most in Westminster expect him to triumph in a straight fight with whoever else makes it through to the last stage.

The influential ConservativeHome website has polled more than 1,500 party members on who is their preferred candidate.

Their survey reveals Mr Johnson is the clear choice of members, with 54% support.

His closest challenger is Mr Stewart on 11%, with Mr Raab in third place with 8%.

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A winner in the contest will be declared next month, with the victor expected to take over from Theresa May in the week beginning 22 July.

Mrs May was asked who she voted for after casting her ballot, but told the waiting journalists: "None of your business."