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 18:28 · Benjamin Kentish]

And Jeremy Hunt tweets...

[20 June 2019 18:31 · Benjamin Kentish]

Boris Johnson's total number of votes only increased by three from this morning's ballot - prompting accusations of dirty tricks, given this would mean he picked up just three of the 34 votes that Sajid Javid received before being eliminated.

That seems highly unlikely, especially given four of Mr Javid's backers said this afternoon that they would now back Mr Johnson.  

The suggestion is that some of those who voted for Mr Johnson in previous rounds did not do so in the final ballot, most likely lending their votes to Jeremy Hunt in an attempt to keep Michael Gove off the ballot. Whether this was co-ordinated by the Johnson campaign or simply the decision of individual MPs is the key question, and it's one you can expect to hear more of. 

[20 June 2019 18:37 · Benjamin Kentish]

Here's the moment the result of the fifth ballot of Tory MPs was announced...

[20 June 2019 18:54 · Benjamin Kentish]

ITV has announced a head-to-head debate between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt on 9 July

[20 June 2019 19:04 · Benjamin Kentish]

Mel Stride, the leader of the Commons and Michael Gove's campaign manager, has rejected suggestions of dirty tricks played by Boris Johnson's team. 

Asked if he believed there was an attempt by Team Johnson to get some of their supporters to vote for Jeremy Hunt in a bid to keep Michael Gove off the ballot, he tells Sky News:

 "It doesn't seem to me on first observation of this that there has been.

"Because we didn't see a situation where, as some had speculated, a very large number of votes might have transferred from say Boris Johnson to Jeremy Hunt.

"It would appear to me everybody has behaved pretty much as one would hope they would."

[20 June 2019 19:21 · Benjamin Kentish]

That's all for today's live coverage - thanks for following!