By Pa
BORIS Johnson has overwhelmingly topped the first ballot in the Tory leadership contest, putting him in pole position to be the next prime minister, as three rivals saw their dreams of entering Number 10 dashed.
The first round of voting by Conservative MPs saw the crowded field in the race to replace Theresa May whittled down, with Mark Harper, Andrea Leadsom and Esther McVey falling at the first hurdle.
Leadership hopefuls needed at least 17 votes in the secret ballot to go through to the second round, with anyone below that threshold automatically eliminated.
