Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

London, June 21: British member of parliament Boris Johnson will now have to face foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt in a run-off race to become the United Kingdom (UK) next prime minister and conservative party leader after seeing a final battle on Thursday, with the ballot winning tasked with leading the nation through Brexit.

According to Dawn news reports, in the fifth session of voting, ex-foreign minister Johnson secured the backing of 160 conservative lawmakers out of 313, whereas his rival and successor Hunt secured 77 votes in favour.

An ex-London mayor Johnson said he was deeply “honoured” to receive such empathic support from his colleagues. In a tweet, he wrote, “I look forward to getting out across the UK and to set out my plan to deliver Brexit, unite our country, and create a brighter future for all of us.”

Environment secretary Michael Gove was eliminated narrowly after securing some 75 votes in favour. The contest to replace British Prime Minister Theresa May will instal the new leader before the end of July in Downing Street.

Both Hunt and Johnson have promised to withdraw Britain from the European Union (EU) as soon as possible, with the present exit date scheduled for October 31 after two deadline delays.

Both have insisted they seek to renegotiate May’s Brexit deal with the bloc, which she had put forth for three times with Brussels, which the parliament has rejected.

 

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