Theresa May and Andrea Leadsom win Tory MP vote as Gove eliminated

Britain is likely to see its second female prime minister by 9 September after Michael Gove was eliminated and Andrea Leadsom joined Theresa May in the next stage of voting.

The home secretary and energy minister will be put forward before about 150,000 Conservative party members to vote to succeed David Cameron after he resigned after the EU referendum Brexit result.

In the second round of voting May had 199 votes, Leadsom 84 and justice secretary Michael Gove with just 46.

Either May, who campaigned to Remain in the EU, or Leadsom, who campaigned to Leave, will be the second woman prime minister, 37 years after Margaret Thatcher was elected in May 1979.

May said: "I am delighted to have won so much support from my colleagues. This vote shows that the Conservative party can come together - and under my leadership it will.

"I have said all along that this election needs to be a proper contest. And now it is time for me - and my team - to put my case to the Conservative party membership.

"That case comes down to three things, because we need strong, proven leadership to negotiate the best deal for Britain as we leave the European Union, to unite our party and our country, and to make Britain a country that works not for a privileged few but for every one of us.

"Those are the things my colleagues have voted for in overwhelming numbers today, and I am confident they will win the support of our members - and the support of the country as a whole."

Gove said that he was “naturally disappointed” by the result. He said he was pleased the next prime minister will be a woman and said May and Leadsom were “formidable politicians” and either one of them would “lead the country well”.

Gove announced his candidacy for the job amid political intrigue. He withdrew his support from Boris Johnson, his Leave campaign partner and long-touted candidate for the job, and ran himself.

Boris Johnson confirmed he would not run for prime minister and lent his support to Andrea Leadsom. He said she had the “zap, drive and determination” for the job.

Leadsom has only been an MP since 2010 and if elected she will be the least experienced prime minister since William Pitt the Younger in 1804. May has been MP since 1997 and home secretary since 2010.

On Tuesday, work and pensions secretary Stephen Crabb stepped down after finishing fourth in the first round and former defence secretary Liam Fox was eliminated as he came last with 16 votes.