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Courtesy of the Telegraph - can't say we haven't been warned.
Boris Johnson is the Tory grassroots’ favourite to be the next Conservative Party leader and now has a 17 point lead over his closest rival, a new survey has shown. The former foreign secretary was backed by almost one in three Tory members to take over from Theresa May as support for him surged by 10 per cent in less than one month. Support for Mr Johnson - now at 32 per cent - is at its highest level since last August as Eurosceptic activists appear to have swung in behind the leading Brexiteer, according to the work done by the ConservativeHome website. Mr Johnson was backed by 22 per cent of members in a similar survey published at the end of March.
Meanwhile, in a further sign that the Tory membership is seemingly ready to elect a “true” Brexiteer as leader, Dominic Raab, the former Brexit secretary, was in second place in the survey with 15 per cent of support. Other leadership challengers were left trailing far behind Mr Johnson, with Michael Gove backed by just eight per cent of members, Jeremy Hunt on six per cent and Sajid Javid on five per cent. Mr Johnson’s commanding lead over his rivals suggest his chances of securing the keys to Number 10 have not been harmed by his decision to vote in favour of Mrs May’s Brexit divorce deal as it was defeated for a third time at the end of March. The former foreign secretary has scored in the mid-20s in the last five surveys and the leap into the low 30s will provide a major boost to Mr Johnson as the battle to succeed Mrs May continues to heat up.
The survey of more than 1,100 Tory members will come as a hammer blow to many of the Tory MPs who are contemplating a run for the leadership. Amber Rudd, the Work and Pensions Secretary, who said earlier this month that it was “entirely possible” she would fight for the top job was backed by just two per cent of members as their preferred choice. Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, and David Davis, the former Brexit secretary, who are both viewed as potential leadership candidates were each supported by just under two per cent of members. A handful of candidates whose names have been mentioned as potential contenders are even further behind with more than half a dozen receiving less than one per cent support. Those include former education secretary Justine Greening, Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood and Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson.
