There are still six candidates in the running to succeed Theresa May as leader of the Conservative party and prime minister of the UK. Health Minister Matt Hancock withdrew on Friday, various British media report.
The 313 Tories in the British House of Commons organized a first round of voting on Thursday to indicate a successor for May. Of the ten candidates, seven received the necessary seventeen votes. Three others dropped out.
Health Minister Matt Hancock received twenty votes yesterday, making it sixth. But he is now throwing in the towel, he announces on Friday. In the next voting round, Tuesday, the candidates must get behind at least 33 fellow Tories to push through.
Hancock has not yet decided which of the remaining candidates he wants to support. “I’m going to talk to all the other candidates, and ask them what values matter to them,” he told iTV News on Friday.
The Brexit will undoubtedly become the most critical file on the board of the new British Prime Minister. Hancock himself argued in favour of leaving the European Union on 31 October, but with an adjusted divorce agreement with the European Union.
Hancock wanted to create a “Council for the Irish Border” with Irish and British representatives, who had to find an opening to set a time limit on the so maligned Irish backstop.
Boris Johnson remains a towering favourite in the race to Downing Street 10. The former Foreign Minister was able to convince 114 MPs on Thursday.
He will compete against current foreign minister Jeremy Hunt (43 votes), environment minister Michael Gove (37 votes), former Brexit minister Dominic Raab (27 votes), interior minister Sajid Javid (23 votes) and development minister Rory Stewart (19 votes).
The latter is the only one that defends the Brexit agreement of May and possibly wants to stay in a customs union with the EU.