UK poised to have first woman PM since Margaret Thatcher
Britain is poised to get its first woman Prime Minister in more than a quarter of a century since Margaret Thatcher as the race to succeed David Cameron after the Brexit vote today narrowed down to home secretary Theresa May and energy minister Andrea Leadsom.Â
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May will now go head to head with Leadsom in an all-woman contest after justice secretary Michael Gove was eliminated from the Conservative party leadership race with the least votes in the second round of voting today.
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"This vote proves the Conservative party can come together," May said after she received the backing of 199 Tory MPs compared to Leadsom's 84 and Gove's 46.Â
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May and Leadsom will now begin their campaigns to convince the wider Conservative party membership around the country for a final round of voting with the winner set to be declared on September 9.Â
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It is now certain that the winner will go on to become Britain's second female Prime Minister after Margaret Thatcher.Â
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Today's results were announced at Westminster by Conservative MP Graham Brady, the chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee.Â
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There had originally been five contenders to succeed Cameron, who had announced his resignation after Britain voted to leave the European Union (EU) in June 23 referendum.Â
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The contest now moves to its final stage with the Conservative Party's 150,000-strong membership deciding between May, a Remain campaigner with a long track record in government, and Leadsom, a strong Brexit campaigner with a background in business by postal ballot.Â
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The race had thrown up its share of controversies with Gove's campaign chief, Nick Boles, allegedly texting MPs to vote tactically in favour of his candidate.Â
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His message read: "What if Theresa stumbles? Are we really confident that the membership won't vote for a fresh face who shares their attitudes about much of modern life, like they did with IDS [Ian Duncan Smith]?" It triggered a backlash, forcing Boles to apologise and claiming that Gove had no knowledge of his message.Â
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It had led May to urge her supporters to not vote tactically as she once again called for a "proper contest".Â
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The 59-year-old has gradually emerged as the candidate with the most backing among both remain and leave camps within the Tory party, despite having supported Cameron during the EU referendum campaign.Â
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"Under Theresa's leadership, the motives of the Conservative Party will never be in any doubt," said Indian-origin minister Priti Patel, a Brexit supporter who threw her support behind May earlier today.