First round in Tory leadership battle goes to Theresa May with 50% of votes as Liam Fox is booted out and Stephen Crabb quits
Home Secretary stormed ahead in the race to become the next PM, winning the backing of half of all Tory MPs in first vote
THERESA May has won an emphatic victory in the first round of voting for the Tory leadership, as Liam Fox and Stephen Crabb left the contest.
May stormed to a commanding lead as half of the 330 Conservative MPs threw their weight behind her - with Andrea Leadsom coming second.
This evening 1922 Committee Graham Brady announced May had topped the first round of the 330 Conservative MPs’ secret ballot, with 165 votes.
Fox was eliminated after receiving the least number of votes while Crabb bowed out after getting 34 votes.
Brexiteer Leadsom, the dark horse in the contest, came second with 66.
Meanwhile Michael Gove came in third with 48.
Former defence secretary Fox won just 16 votes from his fellow Tories – seeing his leadership hopes falter at the first hurdle.
It is the second time the former frontbencher has seen his chances of leading the party dashed after he came third to David Cameron in 2005.
Gove has defiantly announced that he will not withdraw from the race despite not even clinching second place.
After the results were announced, Gove said: “Theresa is a formidable candidate and a great Home Secretary, but I’m delighted by the support that I’ve received."
When asked about May’s overwhelming mandate, not seen since the 1990s, he said: “Theresa is an incredibly impressive performer and she’s been a great home secretary, but of course the decision as to who will be the next leader of the Conservative party will rest with the members of the conservative party.”
It has been reported Justice Secretary Gove's team contacted declared May supporters in a last bid for votes.
Tory leadership election timetable
TODAY: First round of voting from 11am to 6pm. The result was announced at 6.30pm.
Liam Fox, with the fewest votes on 16, drops out of the running.
THURSDAY: Second round of voting. Again the bottom-placed candidate drops out, in what is known as an “exhaustive ballot”.
Repeated every Tuesday and Thursday until there are only two candidates left.
JULY AND AUGUST: The candidates spend their summers campaigning. People who have been Tory members for more than three months vote by post.
SEPTEMBER 8: The closing day for members to make their decision.
SEPTEMBER 9: The result is announced.
OCTOBER 2: New leader heads up the Tory party conference.
The Home Secretary said: "I am the only candidate capable of delivering these three things as prime minister, and tonight it is clear that I am also the only one capable of drawing support from the whole of the Conservative party."
Leadsom quipped: "It looks like we're heading for a Tory all women shortlist - on merit."
It is thought most of his votes will now go to Leadsom.
Mr Cameron was the only Tory MP of the 330 not to cast his vote in the leadership ballot.
The remaining four candidates will now face a fresh round of voting on Thursday and again next week until they are whittled down to two candidates.
Mr Crabb and Mr Gove have until 9am tomorrow to consider throwing in the towel before the second secret ballot.
First round results
1. Theresa May 165
2. Andrea Leadsom 66
3. Michael Gove 48
4. Stephen Crabb 34
5. Liam Fox 16
The 150,000 Tory party members will then cast their postal ballots for their preferred candidate with the winner set to be announced on September 9.
But the last three first-round winners have all failed to clinch the Tory leadership: Ken Clarke in 1997, Michael Portillo in 2001 and David Davis in 2005.
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On Monday the candidates were given the opportunity to make their case to be the next party leader to Tory MPs. This was followed by bizarre scenes when all candidates - except Ms Leadsom - joining MPs for karaoke session.
Despite a disastrous start to her campaign Ms Leadsom received a major boost this morning in the form of Boris Johnson who threw his weight behind her campaign after abandoning his own dreams of taking the keys to Number 10.
Just hours later former chancellor Ken Clarke was caught on camera in an unguarded moment branding Mr Gove "wild" and Ms May "bloody difficult".
Calling the contest a "fiasco" in a conversation with Sir Malcolm Rifkind, he said: “Theresa is a bloody difficult woman but you and I worked with Margaret Thatcher
“I get on all right with her … and she is good.
“She’s been at the Home Office far too long, so I only know in detail what her views are on the Home Office.
“She doesn’t know much about foreign affairs.”
Leading Tory women jumped to Ms May's defence, with business minister Anna Soubry saying "Let's celebrate 'difficult' women!!" while Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson saying "amen sisters".