Boris Johnson runaway Tory favourite to be next leader

God have mercy on us all

Boris Johnson is the out-and-out favourite to replace Theresa May as Conservative leader, a poll of the party's members has found. He is the first choice of 39 per cent of the membership. All the other contenders don't get out of single figures apart from Dominic Raab, who is the first preference for 13 per cent. A run-off between Raab and Johnson would see the former foreign secretary smash the former Brexit secretary 59 to 41. For Tories who voted Remain, however, Johnson is the fifth choice behind Sajid Javid, Michael Gove, Jeremy Hunt and Rory Stewart. The YouGov poll will make happy reading for Johnson, who announced his leadership intentions at a private event yesterday to the surprise of his team. Michael Gove and Sajid Javid languish on nine per cent with Jeremy Hunt on eight and Matt Hancock in last on a lowly one per cent.