The Sun (U.K.) reports the results of the first election among 313 Conservative MPs to see who will be on the “ballot of two choices” sent to the party’s membership, who get final say on the P.M. Boris Johnson came in first with 114, meaning he is almost certain to be one of the two names submitted to the party’s members.
Three candidates were eliminated when they didn’t achieve support beyond 5% of the MPs, or a minimum of 17 votes. Seven remain in the running.
Johnson is known to be perhaps the strongest proponent of Brexit among the candidates. One supposes anti-Brexit Tory MPs will try to coalesce around a like-minded candidate, if not on the next ballot, on one of the subsequent ones.
It would not be entirely shocking for the Conservative Party to split as a result of deeply felt disagreements over Brexit. Hat tip to Drudge Report for the link.
