Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt final two as MPs edge closer to Downing Street - as it happened

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Who could replace Theresa May as Tory leader?

Jeremy Hunt narrowly beat Michael Gove in the final ballot of Tory MPs, and will now go head-to-head with Boris Johnson in the run-off.

Mr Hunt, the foreign secretary, won 77 votes to Mr Gove's 75, while Mr Johnson maintained a commanding lead and finished with 160 votes.

Sajid Javid was eliminated from the race earlier in the day, but declined to endorse any of the other candidates.

As it happened...

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Key Points

• Jeremy Hunt beats Michael Gove to second stage of Tory leadership race...
• ...after Sajid Javid eliminated from contest
• Rumours of dirty tricks after Boris Johnson's total increases by just three from previous round
• Dutch prime minister says no-deal Brexit would leave UK a 'diminished' country

[20 June 2019 11:17 · Samuel Osborne]

In an editorial backing Mr Johnson, the Evening Standard wrote: 

"Twice, the Evening Standard supported Boris Johnson to be the Mayor of London. Today we back him to be the next prime minister."

It said Mr Johnson had the best chance of "uniting this divided government" and "had the most room for manoeuvre to get the country out of the Brexit mess".

"That's why we believe if there's one of these candidates who can give Britain back its mojo, it's BoJo," it concluded.

[20 June 2019 11:26 · Samuel Osborne]

Margot James, the digital minister who previously backed Mr Stewart, said she had voted for Mr Hunt in this round.

Asked if she could stay in a Tory party led by Mr Johnson, Ms James told the Press Association: "I'm not going to comment further. I'm sorry. I've said who I voted for, and that's it."

[20 June 2019 11:37 · Samuel Osborne]

Amber Rudd has challenged Boris Johnson to reject the "dark arts" of election campaigning, Andrew Woodcock writes: 

[20 June 2019 11:48 · Samuel Osborne]

Mr Stewart, who was knocked out of the race last night, has refused to say who he voted for.

[20 June 2019 11:57 · Samuel Osborne]

Bob Stewart, the Tory MP for Beckenham has said he is not concerned Mr Johnson appears to say one thing to some MPs and another to others.

He told the Victoria Derbyshire show it "could be" lying in some cases, but said politicians call it being "economical with the truth".

[20 June 2019 12:03 · Samuel Osborne]

Voting has closed in the fourth round of the Tory leadership ballot.

[20 June 2019 12:23 · Benjamin Kentish]

Boris Johnson has given a big interview to the Evening Standard in which he says there is "a serious job of work to be done" and suggests his priorities as prime minister would be education, infrastructure and technology - the things he focused on as mayor of London.

He says:

"It’s the same formula: it is education, infrastructure and technology — those three things. I want to level up education funding across the UK. There are too many bits of it that don’t get anything like the per-pupil funding as London. And we need to be doing far more with transport infrastructure. I would like to be the prime minister who does for the Northern Powerhouse rail and connectivity with the West Midlands what I was able to do with the Tube upgrades and Crossrail.”

[20 June 2019 12:32 · Benjamin Kentish]

The Court of Appeal ruled this morning that the government's sale of arms to Saudi Arabia for use in Yemen is illegal. Here's the full story, from Lizzie Dearden:

[20 June 2019 12:48 · Benjamin Kentish]

We're expecting the result of the penultimate ballot of Tory MPs in around 15 minutes. The expectation in Westminster is that Sajid Javid will be eliminated, leaving Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and Jeremy Hunt to progress to the final ballot later today. Mr Javid's team have been talking up the prospect of an upset, but the home secretary will have pulled off a huge surprise if he manages to bridge the gap between himself and the others.

[20 June 2019 12:59 · Benjamin Kentish]

MPs are now filling up the Commons committee room where the result will be announced. We're expecting the returning officers, Cheryl Gillan and Charles Walker, who are vice-chairs of the 1922 Committee, to reveal the result shortly after 1pm.