Boris Johnson elected leader of the Conservative Party

Boris Johnson has been elected leader of the Conservative Party, defeating the foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt.

Johnson won 92,153 votes against Hunt’s 46,656, with a turnout of 87.4 per cent. Around 160,000 Tory members were eligible to vote.

The former London mayor, who has long been seen as the front runner in the contest, will formally succeed Theresa May as prime minister tomorrow after an audience with the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

Mr Johnson has promised to take the UK out of the EU by 31 October “do or die”, although it’s unclear how he would be able to get a no-deal Brexit through parliament.

Rolling resignations have already begun ahead of a Johnson premiership, with Philip Hammond, David Gauke and Rory Stewart all set to quit before the new prime minister takes office.

They have all suggested they wouldn’t be able to serve under a government pursuing a no-deal exit.

Sir Alan Duncan also resigned from the government yesterday ahead of Johnson’s election, extraordinarily demanding an emergency Commons debate to test whether the new Tory leader could command the support of the house.

The speaker rejected the request for a debate.

Johnson will now select his Cabinet with his top team, with speculation swirling around Westminster over who will occupy key positions like chancellor and chief whip.