May, Leadsom make final round to be Britain’s next PM

“This vote shows that the Conservative Party can come together, and under my leadership it will”, May told supporters after the results were announced.

“I was really fortunate to have some of the brightest and the best in the parliamentary party on my side and I’m naturally disappointed that I haven’t be able to make it through to the final round of this leadership contest”.

The Surrey Heath MP will not be the next Prime Minister – and we will definitely have a female in charge. “No one wants the country to be led by a novice”.

Mrs Leadsom is also supported by former London mayor and one-time leadership favourite Boris Johnson, who said she would replace the “absurd gloom in some quarters with a positive confident and optimistic approach”. May was a proponent of the “stay” campaign and has been a clear favorite in the contest.

But it is thought 60% of the party membership voted to leave the European Union last month. He will officially step down in October.

Stephen Crabb and Dr Liam Fox were eliminated in an earlier round of voting on Tuesday. Tactical voting may skew the outcome on Thursday, expected around 1530 GMT, and the two remaining candidates will then compete for the votes of largely eurosceptic grassroots Conservative members, who will have the final say. The victor will be declared on September 9. “May’s argument – and I personally agree with it – will be that you need a firm hand on the wheel”. She campaigned for the “remain” vote in the referendum.

After David Cameron resigned post-Brexit, the race to be Britain’s next prime minister was well and truly on.

Theresa May, Home Secretary since 2010, leaves Number 10 Downing Street after a cabinet meeting.

The Bank of England, which warned before the referendum that a Brexit vote would push Britain into a “material” economic slowdown, could cut interest rates as soon as next Thursday.

Meanwhile, Mrs Leadsom – who has faced questions about Ukip support for her leadership bid – was given the backing of the party’s outgoing leader Nigel Farage. That has led to accusations she is using European citizens as pawns in the EU divorce talks.

Leadsom, 53, argues that the prime minister should be someone who truly believes in a British exit, or Brexit. Mrs May has adopted tough rhetoric when discussion negotiations with Europe, saying “Brexit means Brexit”.

Mr Marr said some people claim Mr Farage is the “great victor of this [Brexit], in many respects, he should be there [ in the Brexit negotiations] and not pushed by the Westminster establishment”. Leadsom has rejected the criticisms.

With 199 votes, Theresa May is now winning the popularity contest as her and Leadsom go head to head for the role of PM.

In other words, the next British prime minister will definitely be a woman.

Gove, one of the architects of Britain’s shock vote to leave the European Union last month, was seen as the least likely of the candidates to survive the knockout vote Thursday.

Born and brought up in Scotland, he was a controversial education secretary, making radical reforms that earned him as many enemies as friends.