OREANDA-NEWS. In the UK, the results of the second - and final - stage of the election of the leader of the Conservative Party (Tories) were announced. The winner of the election was the former Foreign Minister and former Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. He scored 92,153 votes, reports Reuters. Johnson's rival in the fight for the party leader’s chair, the Foreign Office head Jeremy Hunt, received 46,656 votes.

By leading the Tory faction, Johnson automatically becomes eligible to become the country's new prime minister. He is expected to take up this post on Wednesday, July 24th. As Prime Minister, Johnson will replace Teresa May, who previously announced her resignation from the post of Tory leader due to the failure of Brexit. It's planned that May 24, May will speak for the last time in Parliament, after which she will go to Buckingham Palace. There, 93-year-old Queen of Great Britain Elizabeth II will accept her resignation as prime minister.

Then the monarch will accept Johnson and formally turn to him with the request to form a government under his command. After this ceremony, Johnson will go to the residence on Downing Street. It's expected that the new prime minister will deliver a speech in which he will outline priorities as head of government.

Johnson's victory is the first time in British history, when the head of a minority government (the Tories remain in power, thanks to the support of Ulster unionists from Northern Ireland) is changing through inner-party elections. On Monday, former European and Latin American affairs minister Alan Duncan tried to initiate a vote of confidence in Johnson, but such a proposal was rejected by the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow.

During the campaign, Johnson declared his readiness to leave the European Union without a preliminary agreement, unless Brussels makes additional concessions to London. The Tory leader promised to withdraw Britain from the EU - with or without an agreement - on October 31 (the official date of Brexit).