Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Boris Johnson on becoming the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. (Photo: Twitter/ @narendramodi)

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Boris Johnson on becoming the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

"Congratulations @BorisJohnson on assuming office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. I wish you success and look forward to working with you to further strengthen India - UK partnership in all spheres. @10DowningStreet," Modi twote on Twitter.

Beginning a new chapter in the British politics, Boris Johnson on Wednesday officially became the Prime Minister of the country, following the official step down of his predecessor Theresa May.

Johnson visited Buckingham Palace where he met Queen Elizabeth II for over half an hour. The Royal family tweeted an image of Johnson with the queen and confirmed that he has been asked to form the government, reported CNN.

Johnson on Tuesday had won the race to become the head of the conservative party after securing 92,153 votes to his rival Jeremy Hunt's 46,656 votes. 1,60,000 grassroots Conservative party members across the UK had voted to choose the next occupant of 10 Downing Street after May's departure. </s> London, 23 July 2019 (dpa/MIA) – British leader-in-waiting Boris Johnson vowed on Tuesday to “get Brexit done” after the ruling Conservatives chose him in a run-off to succeed Prime Minister Theresa May.

Johnson won about two-thirds of the votes by 160,000 Conservative party members in a contest with Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, putting him one day away from becoming Britain’s new leader.

Addressing hundreds of party members – including his father, sister and brother – Johnson said he wants to unite Britain and “get Brexit done” by the delayed EU exit date of October 31, with or without a deal.

In brief remarks after the ballot result, he praised May for her “extraordinary service” and for her “passion and determination” in politics.

“We’re going to get Brexit done … in a new spirit of can-do,” Johnson said in a prepared victory speech.

“And like some slumbering giant we are going to rise and ping off the guy ropes of self-doubt and negativity.”

Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Britain’s main opposition Labour party, called for a general election, saying Johnson was chosen via an “unrepresentative” ballot.

“Johnson’s no-deal Brexit would mean job cuts, higher prices in the shops, and risk our NHS [national health service] being sold off to US corporations in a sweetheart deal with Donald Trump,” Corbyn tweeted.

EU officials congratulated Johnson but wasted no time in signalling the bloc won’t budge on the divorce bill it negotiated with Britain.

“We look forward to working constructively [with Johnson] when he takes office, to facilitate the ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement and achieve an orderly #Brexit,” the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, wrote on Twitter.

Barnier said Brussels is, however, ready to rework the political declaration on future relations that accompanies the withdrawal agreement.

Incoming European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Johnson and also said she is looking forward to having a good working relationship with Johnson.

US President Donald Trump tweeting that Johnson “will be great!” as prime minister.

Johnson has said a post-Brexit trade deal with the United States would be an early priority for him as prime minister.

May urged him to “work together to deliver a Brexit that works for the whole UK.”

She urged him to ensure the Conservatives “keep Jeremy Corbyn out of government.”

Anti-EU campaigner Nigel Farage, who leads the rising Brexit Party, asked if Johnson will “have the courage to deliver” on his “do or die” promise to leave the EU by October 31.

“It is do or die, not just for Brexit but for the future of the Conservative party,” Farage tweeted.

May resigned after she failed to persuade lawmakers to back the Brexit deal she had agreed with Brussels.

Johnson is expected to make sweeping changes to her cabinet.

Hunt, who is not expected to stay in the cabinet, said Johnson would be “a great PM for our country at this critical moment!”

Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond, Justice Secretary David Gauke, International Development Secretary Rory Stewart and junior foreign office minister Alan Duncan have already said they will not serve in a Johnson-led government. </s> Image copyright Getty Images

Boris Johnson is the new leader of the Conservative party. He officially becomes prime minister on Wednesday, after Theresa May formally resigns.

But what will his new job actually involve?

What does the prime minister do?

The prime minister is the leader of the government and is appointed by the Queen. Normally, he or she is the leader of the party that wins a general election.

It's the prime minister's job to appoint members to the government, known as ministers. Only a small number of MPs actually get these roles.

The most senior figures are called cabinet ministers and they oversee government departments - such as the Treasury and the Home Office.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Boris Johnson was elected Conservative leader after winning more than 92,000 votes

The prime minister can, at any time, hire and fire ministers. They can also abolish government departments or create brand new ones.

Alongside the chancellor, the prime minister is also in charge of tax-and-spending policy.

And the prime minister can also bring in new laws - so long as they receive the backing of Parliament.

Ultimately, the prime minister is responsible for all government policy and decisions.

What other powers does the prime minister have?

The prime minister has overall control of the civil service - the people and departments that carry out the government's decisions.

They can award honours, such as knighthoods and damehoods. They can also award peerages.

They also have a number of responsibilities relating to defence and security.

For example, they have the power to send the UK's armed forces into action. However, recent convention says Parliament should also approve such a decision.

A number of special responsibilities also rest on the prime minister's shoulders, such as deciding whether to shoot down a hijacked or unidentified aircraft.

They can also authorise the use of UK nuclear weapons.

How are prime ministers held to account?

Despite these powers, a prime minister can't just take any decision they like.

Prime ministers need to retain the confidence of most MPs. That's because laws can only be passed if a majority of MPs vote them through.

If a government repeatedly loses votes, MPs could choose to call a "motion of no confidence". If a prime minister loses such a vote, they face the prospect of a general election.

If the prime minister's party loses a general election, they must resign so the leader of the winning party can take over.

In theory, the Queen has the power to sack a prime minister if it was felt they were acting against the country's interest. That, however, would trigger a constitutional crisis.

Who got to choose the prime minister?

Boris Johnson needed the backing of both Conservative MPs and ordinary party members.

To start with, 10 Tory MPs were nominated as possible prime ministers. But a series of secret votes by Conservative MPs whittled them down to two - Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt.

Both Mr Johnson and Mr Hunt took part in a series of debates, before paid-up members of the Tory Party voted for who they wanted.

That meant about 160,000 people were able to choose the leader of a country of more than 65 million people.

Boris Johnson received 92,153 votes compared to Jeremy Hunt's 46,656.

Most Conservative party members are over 55 and a large majority are from the top social class.

Why wasn't there a general election?

A new prime minister doesn't necessarily mean a general election is inevitable.

As the Conservatives are already in power, they won't have to hold one - so long as Boris Johnson can command the support of the majority of MPs.

If he did decide to call an election, the prime minister would need at least two-thirds of MPs to agree to it.

Where does this leave Brexit?

Despite Theresa May's departure, the problem of Brexit is far from resolved.

Coming up with a solution that will define the future relationship of the UK with its European neighbours will keep Boris Johnson very busy.

Mr Johnson has pledged to renegotiate the existing deal - the one Mrs May failed to pass three times.

But there's also no guarantee that a revised deal can be agreed before the Brexit deadline.

However, Mr Johnson is adamant the UK will leave on 31 October "deal or no deal".

What are the perks?

The prime minister is expected to live and work in 10 Downing Street - the office of the prime minister since 1735.

However, there are some exceptions. Tony Blair, who had a young family, chose to reside in Number 11 in 1997 - as it had a larger living area.

In addition, the prime minister has an official country residence, Chequers, which is free to be used at any time.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Chequers has been the official country residence of the UK prime minister since 1921

Boris Johnson will be driven in an official prime ministerial car. Currently, it's a custom-built Jaguar XJ Sentinel.

As for salary, the prime minister is currently paid £150,402 a year. </s> Conservative lawmaker Dominic Raab arrives at 10 Downing Street, London, Wednesday, July 24, 2019. Boris Johnson has replaced Theresa May as Prime Minister, following her resignation last month after Parliament repeatedly rejected the Brexit withdrawal agreement she struck with the European Union. Johnson seems to be clearing out top ministers, firing several members of former leader Theresa May’s Cabinet. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

LONDON (AP) — The latest on Boris Johnson officially becoming Britain’s new prime minister (all times local):

Australia’s prime minister has congratulated Boris Johnson and hopes to ink one of Britain’s first bilateral trade deals after Brexit.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday he and Johnson are both looking forward to meeting at the Group of 7 summit in France next month and to “moving very quickly, when the opportunity presents” to reach a trade deal.

Morrison told reporters that “this is a time of change for the United Kingdom” and Johnson “will bring a new opportunity … to resolve what had been some very difficult issues.”

Morrison says it is in the interests of the “broader global economy” that Britain and Europe resolve outstanding Brexit issues.

Dominic Raab has been named Britain’s foreign secretary, the country’s top diplomat and one of the most senior roles in government.

Raab was appointed as new Prime Minister Boris Johnson assembles a Cabinet he hopes can help him deliver Brexit. Raab is a former Brexit secretary and a staunch supporter of Britain’s exit from the European Union.

Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay is keeping his job in the government shakeup.

Michael Gove, who ran the 2016 campaign to leave the EU alongside Johnson before the pair fell out, was named Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, a powerful Cabinet post with no specific portfolio.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has appointed Sajid Javid the country’s new Treasury chief, one of the most senior jobs in Cabinet.

Javid will be responsible for spending and economic policy in Johnson’s government.

Javid, a former banker and ex-home secretary, is the first ethnic minority politician to hold the post of Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Johnson is forming his Cabinet after taking office on Wednesday. He has cleared out many of the ministers who served under predecessor Theresa May. More than half have either quit or been fired.

Jeremy Hunt says he’s leaving the job of foreign secretary as new Prime Minister Boris Johnson sweeps into office with a fresh team at the top.

Hunt’s position had been closely watched. He had challenged Johnson for the job of Conservative leader, and says he wanted to stay on as foreign secretary. But Hunt says Johnson offered another role.

Hunt tweeted that “after 9 yrs in Cabinet & over 300 cab mtgs now is the time to return 2 backbenches from where PM will have my full support.”

Former Prime Minister Theresa May’s secretaries in defense, business, education, transport, local government and international trade have all announced they are leaving the government. Treasury chief Philip Hammond, Justice Secretary David Gauke, International Development Secretary Rory Stewart and May’s de-facto deputy, David Lidington, resigned.

New Prime Minister Boris Johnson seems to be clearing out top ministers, firing several members of former leader Theresa May’s Cabinet.

So far, May’s secretaries in defense, business, education, transport, local government and international trade have all announced they are leaving government. That comes hours after Treasury chief Philip Hammond, Justice Secretary David Gauke, International Development Secretary Rory Stewart and May’s de-facto deputy, David Lidington, resigned.

Some of those leaving had said they would rather go than serve under Johnson, who wants to leave the European Union even if no Brexit agreement is in place to ease the transition. Johnson insists the country will leave the EU by Oct. 31 — “do or die.”

However many British lawmakers, including some in Johnson’s Conservative party, worry that the shock of severing decades of frictionless trade would devastate the country’s economy.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she wishes new British Prime Minister Boris Johnson much luck and success and is looking forward to “good cooperation and further deepening of our bilateral relations.”

Merkel said in a statement Wednesday that the relationship of Germany and Britain is “shaped by deep friendship and close partnership.”

She wrote “we’re connected by personal relations of people, economic ties between companies, our united engagement for a rule-based international order as well as our common European heritage.”

Britain’s new Prime Minister Boris Johnson has vowed the U.K. will leave the European Union on Oct. 31 — “no ifs, ands or buts.”

Speaking just moments after Queen Elizabeth II asked him to form a government Wednesday, Johnson sought to persuade the public to back him — saying that the time has come to act on the nation’s departure from the European Union.

In his first speech as leader outside 10 Downing Street, Johnson says “he will get ‘a new deal, a better deal’ from the EU on Brexit.

He added that while there will be difficulties, much of the nation’s confidence has been sapped by the refusal to take action.

Johnson left Buckingham Palace after being appointed by Queen Elizabeth II. The palace confirmed that Johnson had been appointed “as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury,” another of the British leader’s titles.

He visited the palace to meet with the monarch Wednesday after predecessor Theresa May resigned, failing to secure parliamentary approval for her deal to leave the European Union.

Johnson is going to 10 Downing St. to start work on forming his new administration.

Greenpeace climate protesters have interrupted the motorcade of Boris Johnson as he was traveling to Buckingham Palace to meet with Queen Elizabeth II to get the nod to form a government.

Demonstrators in red shirts and sashes formed a human chain on The Mall, a road leading to the palace, prompting a police officer on a motorcycle to stop just in front of them. Other demonstrators unfurled a banner reading “Climate Emergency.”

The chain was broken when another officer came up from behind and pushed the demonstrators to the side of the road.

Greenpeace said in a statement that U.K. Executive Director John Sauven attempted to hand Johnson Greenpeace’s 134 point Climate Emergency manifesto, which detailed “the wide-ranging policies the new administration must implement to prevent catastrophic climate breakdown.”

Buckingham Palace says that Theresa May has tendered her resignation to Queen Elizabeth II, clearing the way for Boris Johnson to become the new prime minister of the United Kingdom.

The monarch accepted, setting in train the handover of power.

Johnson arrived at the palace a short time later on Wednesday, having been briefly interrupted by climate protesters who formed a human chain attempting to stop his motorcade.

Theresa May has left 10 Downing St. for the final time as prime minister and is heading for Buckingham Palace to resign.

In a formal handover of power, May will ask Queen Elizabeth II to invite her successor Boris Johnson to form a government. Johnson will then visit the palace, and leave as Britain’s new prime minister.

May is stepping down after failing to secure lawmakers’ support for a Brexit deal and lead Britain out of the European Union.

In a final speech outside 10 Downing St. with husband Philip by her side, May said it had been “the greatest honor” to serve as Britain’s prime minister.

And she said “I hope that every young girl who has seen a woman prime minister now knows for sure there are no limits to what they can achieve.”

Senior members of Prime Minister Theresa May’s government, including her Treasury chief Philip Hammond, are resigning just hours before Conservative Party leader Boris Johnson succeeds her.

The departures clear the way for Johnson to appoint a raft of fresh faces to his government.

Justice Secretary David Gauke and International Development Secretary Rory Stewart have also resigned.

The three had previously announced they would rather leave rather than serve Johnson, who wants to leave the European Union even if no agreement is in place to ease the transition to a new relationship between Britain and the bloc. He insists that the country will leave the EU by Oct. 31 — “do or die.”

Many lawmakers worry the shock of severing decades of frictionless trade would devastate the country’s economy.

David Lidington, effectively May’s deputy prime minister, also resigned, saying it was “the right moment.” to go. He had not previously pre-announced his departure.

A Russian Foreign Ministry official says no immediate changes in relations with Britain are expected upon Boris Johnson becoming Britain’s new prime minister.

Andrei Kelin, head of the ministry’s European cooperation department, said Wednesday that “I don’t think that something will change in the near future, because Boris Johnson belongs to the team that has spoiled these relations for quite a long time.”

Moscow-London relations have plummeted since the nerve agent poisoning of a Russian former double agent and his daughter in the town of Salisbury last year. Britain blames the poisoning on Russian military intelligence.

Prime Minister Theresa May says she’s glad her successor, Boris Johnson, is committed to “delivering on the vote of the people in 2016” to leave the European Union.

May offered muted praise of the incoming leader in her last Prime Minister’s Questions session in the House of Commons. She said she was pleased to be handing power to another Conservative leader.

After Wednesday’s question period, May will travel to Buckingham Palace and submit her resignation to Queen Elizabeth II. Johnson, who won a contest to replace her as Conservative leader, will become prime minister later in the day.

May said she would “continue my duties in this House from the back benches” as an ordinary lawmaker.

May shook her head at a suggestion from Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn that she join opposition attempts to stop the “reckless” Johnson, who has vowed to take Britain out of the EU with or without a divorce deal.

The European Parliament is warning new Boris Johnson, who in a few hours is set to become British prime minister, not to count on any renegotiation of the Brexit deal that his predecessor Theresa May negotiated with the EU.

The legislature’s Brexit steering group said in a statement that the statements made by Johnson during his campaign to lead the Conservative Party “have greatly increased the risk of a disorderly exit of the UK.”

It adds that a no-deal exit would be “economically very damaging, even if such damage would not be inflicted equally on both parties.”

The group, including the top Brexit legislators, held talks in a conference call the day after Johnson won the race to succeed May, who is due to quit as prime minister in the next couple of hours.

Johnson has said he would take the UK out of the EU on the Brexit departure date of Oct. 31 “come what may.”

Incoming British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is assembling his top team, with a key job set to go to a controversial figure from the country’s Brexit referendum campaign.

Johnson’s allies say Dominic Cummings, director of the “Vote Leave” campaign in the 2016 referendum, will become a senior adviser to the prime minister.

Cummings has been both praised and criticized for his work as the campaign’s lead strategist. Lawmakers and electoral officials have investigated Vote Leave’s links to the firm Cambridge Analytica, which harvested Facebook users’ data to help political campaigns.

Cummings — who was played by Benedict Cumberbatch in the TV drama “Brexit: The Uncivil War” — was found to be in contempt of Parliament earlier this year for refusing to give evidence to a committee of lawmakers investigating “fake news.”

Boris Johnson is set to form a “cabinet for modern Britain” as he prepares to become prime minister following his victory in an election to lead the governing Conservatives.

The incoming leader has just over three months to make good on his promise to lead the U.K. out of the European Union by Oct. 31.

Johnson easily defeated Conservative rival Jeremy Hunt, winning two-thirds of the votes of about 160,000 party members across the U.K. He becomes prime minister once Queen Elizabeth II formally asks him to form a government.

He will replace Theresa May, who announced her resignation last month after Parliament repeatedly rejected the withdrawal agreement she struck with the 28-nation bloc.

For more on AP’s Brexit coverage, https://www.apnews.com/Brexit </s> British Conservative party leadership and prime minister contender Boris Johnson leaves his home in south London, Thursday June 20, 2019. The race to become Britain’s next prime minister is down to the final four on Wednesday, as Boris Johnson stretched his lead among Conservative lawmakers and upstart Rory Stewart was eliminated from the contest. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

LONDON (AP) — The Latest on choosing Britain’s next prime minister (all times local):

Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt will compete to become Britain’s next prime minister in a runoff vote by members of the governing Conservative Party.

Johnson, a former U.K. foreign secretary, and Hunt, who holds that office now, are the last candidates standing after a series of elimination votes by Conservative lawmakers. Home Secretary Sajid Javid and Environment Secretary Michael Gove were culled from the race on Thursday.

Johnson got 160 of the votes cast by 313 Tory lawmakers in the final round, and is strong favorite to win the ballot of some 160,000 party members.

Hunt, who got 77 votes, will seek to halt Johnson’s momentum by picking away at Johnson’s plans for Brexit as the two speak to meetings of party members across the country.

The winner is due to be announced in late July, and will replace Theresa May as party leader and prime minister.

The contest to become Britain’s next prime minister is down to its final three candidates, with Environment Secretary Michael Gove and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt chasing front-runner Boris Johnson for a spot in a deciding runoff.

Johnson gained 157 of 313 votes cast by Conservative lawmakers Thursday in their fourth round of voting. Gove received 61, leapfrogging Hunt, who has been in second place until now but got 59.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid came fourth with 34 votes and drops out.

A second vote Thursday will select the final two contenders, who will go to a by-mail ballot of all 160,000 Conservative Party members nationwide.

The winner is due to be announced in late July, and will replace Theresa May as party leader and prime minister.

Britain’s governing Conservatives were set to pick two candidates who will square off to become the country’s next prime minister.

Tory lawmakers will vote to eliminate two contenders from a four-strong field that includes ex-foreign minister and London mayor Boris Johnson, current Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Environment Secretary Michael Gove and Home Secretary Sajid Javid.

Johnson has a commanding lead after three rounds of voting that cut the list from an initial 10 contenders. The three others are battling to join him in a runoff to be decided by 160,000 Conservative Party members nationwide.

All the candidates are vowing to lead Britain out of the European Union, a challenge that defeated outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May. She quit as Conservative leader earlier this month after failing to win Parliament’s backing for her Brexit deal.

The winner of the contest, due to be announced the week of July 22, will become Conservative leader and prime minister.

Follow AP’s full coverage of Brexit and the Conservative Party leadership race at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit </s> Britain’s pro-European Union Liberal Democrats won the parliamentary seat of Brecon and Radnorshire from the governing Conservatives on Friday, a blow to Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his first electoral test since taking office.

The loss reduces Johnson’s working majority in parliament to just one ahead of an expected showdown with lawmakers in the autumn over his plan to take Britain out of the European Union on Oct. 31 without an exit agreement if necessary.

Johnson’s government already relies on the support of a small Northern Irish party for its wafer-thin majority, with just a handful of rebels in his own Conservatives needed to lose key votes.

The Liberal Democrats won the Welsh seat of Brecon and Radnorshire with a majority of 1,425 votes.

“Boris Johnson’s shrinking majority makes it clear that he has no mandate to crash us out of the EU,” Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson, whose party now have 13 seats in parliament, said in a statement following the result early on Friday.

“I will do whatever it takes to stop Brexit and offer an alternative, positive vision … We now have one more MP (Member of Parliament) who will vote against Brexit in parliament.”

Wales, and the Brecon area, voted to leave the EU at the 2016 Brexit referendum, but it is also a region where sheep outnumber people and where the prospect of steep EU tariffs being slapped on Welsh lamb exports in a no-deal Brexit have prompted widespread concern among farmers.

The Brecon vote was triggered when Conservative lawmaker Chris Davies was ousted by a petition of constituents after being convicted of falsifying expenses. Liberal Democrat candidate Jane Dodds won with 13,826 votes.

Davies, who ran again for the Conservatives, came second with 12,401 votes. The Brexit Party came third with 3,331 votes, while the main opposition Labour Party was fourth on 1,680 votes.

The Liberal Democrats had previously held the seat from 1997 until 2015, when it was won by Davies. In the 2017 snap election he held the seat with a majority of just over 8,000 votes.

Johnson, who took office last week, has said he does not plan to hold an election before Britain leaves the EU but could be forced to if lawmakers try to stop him pursuing a no-deal exit by collapsing the government in a no confidence vote.

The result in Brecon, where the combined vote for pro-leave parties outnumbered pro-remain, would likely add to calls for a possible Conservative-Brexit Party alliance in any upcoming election.

Pro-EU parties, including the Greens and Plaid Cymru, agreed not to stand in the Brecon election on Thursday to boost the Liberal Democrats chances by concentrating the support of ‘Remain’ voters behind one candidate.

The Brexit Party, led by prominent Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, was only launched in April and rode a wave of anger over the government’s failure to deliver Brexit to sweep to victory in the United Kingdom’s European Parliament election in May.

“If the Brexit Party do hang around and the Conservative Party doesn’t deal with them effectively, ie. if we don’t show signs that we are leaving Europe by the end of October, then that could really have some repercussions for our vote not just in seats like this but across the UK,” Nick Ramsay, a Conservative member of the Welsh Assembly told Sky News. </s> The Latest: UK prime minister pool cut to 4, Johnson at top

LONDON (AP) — The Latest on Conservative Party voting to pick Britain's next prime minister (all times local):

The contest to become Britain's next prime minister is down to four candidates, with Boris Johnson building on his commanding lead in a Conservative Party vote.

Johnson gained 143 of 313 votes cast by Conservative lawmakers Wednesday in their third round of voting.

He's being chased by Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Environment Secretary Michael Gove and Home Secretary Sajid Javid.

International Development Secretary Rory Stewart, a longshot candidate who energized the race, received the fewest votes and drops out.

Two more votes are scheduled for Thursday to whittle the field down to two. The final two contenders will go to a by-mail ballot of all 160,000 Conservative Party members nationwide.

The winner is due to be announced in late July, and will replace Theresa May as party leader and prime minister.

Britain's Conservative Party is set to kick one more candidate out of the contest to become the country's next prime minister, as rivals scramble to catch front-runner Boris Johnson.

The five-strong field will be narrowed in elimination votes by Tory lawmakers Wednesday and Thursday, with the two top candidates going to a runoff of party members across the country.

One of the remaining candidates, International Development Secretary Rory Stewart, says he is talking to Environment Secretary Michael Gove about combining forces. He says the question is "who is best able to politely and respectfully defeat Boris Johnson."

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Home Secretary Sajid Javid are also in the race.

The winner, due to be announced in late July, will replace Theresa May as Conservative leader and prime minister.

Follow AP's full coverage of Brexit and the Conservative Party leadership race at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit </s> British Conservative party leadership contender Boris Johnson gets in a car as he leaves his home in south London, Tuesday, June 18, 2019. Contenders for leadership in Britain’s ruling Conservative Party to become the next Prime Minister, jostled for attention Monday as the race narrowed into a contest to seize the mantle of challenger to front-runner Boris Johnson. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

LONDON (AP) — The Latest on the voting to elect Britain’s next prime minister (all times local):

The five men competing to be Britain’s next prime minister are taking part in a televised debate where they traded barbs about who will get Britain out of the European Union fastest.

Front-runner Boris Johnson said during the Tuesday night debate that if Brexit doesn’t happen on the scheduled date of Oct. 31 there would be a “catastrophic loss of confidence in politics.”

Both Johnson and fellow contender Sajid Javid said they would opt to leave the EU without an agreement if Parliament hadn’t ratified a divorce deal by then.

The debate came just hours after Conservative Party lawmakers voted for a second time to winnow to field of candidates competing to replace Theresa May as party leader and British prime minister.

Michael Gove said a no-deal Brexit would cause “economic turbulence” but he wouldn’t rule it out. Jeremy Hunt said “it should only be a very, very last resort.”

Gove and Hunt both said they’d delay Brexit for a short time if needed to secure a deal.

The fifth contender, Rory Stewart, said “there would never be no-deal” if he was prime minister because it would be too damaging to the economy.

Boris Johnson has increased his lead in the race to become Britain’s next prime minister, as one of his rivals was eliminated from the contest.

Five contenders in all were still in the running after a second-round ballot of Conservative lawmakers on Tuesday.

Former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab failed to reach the threshold of 33 votes needed to go on to the next round.

Tory lawmakers will vote again Wednesday and, if needed, on Thursday. The final two contenders will go to a by-mail ballot of all 160,000 Conservative Party members nationwide.

The winner will replace Theresa May as party leader and prime minister.

Conservative lawmakers in Britain are voting on who should become the party’s next leader and Britain’s next prime minister.

Six contenders, including front-runner Boris Johnson, remained before the vote on Tuesday. At least one will be eliminated in that vote.

All those aiming to replace Prime Minister Theresa May vow they will succeed where May failed and lead Britain out of the European Union, though they differ about how they plan to break the country’s Brexit deadlock.

Johnson, a former foreign secretary, gained backing from 114 of the 313 Tory legislators in the first round of voting.

In Tuesday’s vote, the lowest-placed contender will drop out, along with any who fail to get at least 33 votes.Further rounds of voting are set for Wednesday and Thursday if needed. The final two contenders will go to a postal ballot of about 160,000 Conservative Party members nationwide.

The winner, due to be announced in late July, will become party leader and prime minister.

Follow AP’s full coverage of Brexit and the Conservative Party leadership race at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit </s> LONDON (REUTERS) - Mr Boris Johnson, the ebullient Brexiteer who has promised to lead Britain out of the European Union with or without a deal by Halloween, will replace Mrs Theresa May as prime minister after winning the leadership of the Conservative Party on Tuesday (July 23).

His victory catapults the United Kingdom towards a Brexit showdown with the EU and towards a constitutional crisis at home, as British lawmakers have vowed to bring down any government that tries to leave the bloc without a divorce deal.

Mr Johnson, the face of the 2016 Brexit referendum, won the votes of 92,153 members of the Conservative party, to 46,656 for his rival, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

Mrs May will leave office on Wednesday after going to Buckingham Palace to see Queen Elizabeth, who will formally appoint Mr Johnson before he enters Downing Street.

The result is a spectacular victory for one of Britain’s most flamboyant politicians, and places an avowed Brexit supporter in charge of the government for the first time since the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU in the shock 2016 referendum.

But Mr Johnson – known for his ambition, mop of blond hair, flowery oratory and cursory command of policy detail – takes office at one of the most tumultuous junctures in post-World War II British history.

The 2016 Brexit referendum showed a United Kingdom divided about much more than the European Union, and has fuelled soul-searching about everything from regional secession and immigration to capitalism, the legacy of empire, and modern Britishness.

Brexit, which has already toppled two Conservative prime ministers, will dominate.

Mr Johnson has pledged to negotiate a new Brexit divorce deal with the EU to secure before Oct 31.

But if the bloc refuses, as it insists it will, he has promised to leave anyway – “do or die” - on Halloween.

It is a step that many investors and economists say would send shock waves through world markets and tip the world’s fifth-largest economy into recession or even chaos.

A Brexit without a divorce deal would also weaken London’s position as the pre-eminent international financial centre while jolting the northern European economy.

Mr Johnson’s Conservatives have no majority in Parliament and need the support of 10 lawmakers from Northern Ireland’s Brexit-backing Democratic Unionist Party to govern.

Even then, the majority is wafer-thin – and some lawmakers have threatened to bring down the government, a step that would probably deepen Britain’s political crisis and lead to an election.
Boris Johnson is elected as Leader of the UK Conservative Party, and as a result is expected to become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 24 July 2019.