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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
Dan Bloom

Tory leadership: 5 fast facts you need as historic week for UK kicks off

This week is going to set the course of Britain's history.

Boris Johnson may be the runaway first place in the Tory leadership race, but it's not over yet.

And after he shamelessly chickened out of last night's Channel 4 TV debate, his rivals have had some much-needed airtime.

You can read But what does the rest of the week hold?

Here's a guide to why you need to keep your eyes peeled for news about our future.

1. We'll know the final two candidates this week 

Five of the candidates in the Tory leadership debate on Channel 4 last night (PA)

By Friday, Tory MPs will have whittled down the six candidates for Prime Minister to just two - who then go to a vote by 160,000 Tory members.

MPs' next knockout vote is announced at 6pm tomorrow, with any MP with fewer than 33 backers kicked out.

There are then further knockout rounds eliminating the least popular candidate each time at 6pm Wednesday, 1pm Thursday and 6pm Thursday.

Meanwhile there's a hustings by Westminster journalists from 11am today and a BBC debate between all five (or fewer) remaining candidates at 8pm tomorrow.

2. Boris Johnson has won a star backer - and is on course to win

Matt Hancock has backed Boris Johnson - despite saying "f***" his policy (Chris J Ratcliffe)

Boris Johnson's Tory leadership bid has received a new boost

The Health Secretary, who threw in the towel on Friday, has now rallied despite the most likely winner of the contest.

He claimed Mr Johnson will be a "pro-enterprise PM" - despite attacking Mr Johnson's infamously sweary on business just three weeks ago.

During the campaign Mr Hancock said: "To the people who say 'f*** business', I say 'f***, f*** business!"'

Yet today he claimed Mr Johnson will "unite the country behind an open, ambitious, forward-looking agenda, delivered with the energy that gets stuff done".

It is far from clear the 20 MPs who backed Mr Hancock in the first round will swing to Boris Johnson. But it does leave him more likely to keep a Cabinet job.

It means Boris Johnson looks even more on course to win the contest despite avoiding proper scrutiny (below).

Today he uses his £5,200-a-week Daily Telegraph column to announce he'd extend full-fibre broadband to every home in the country by within five years, nine years ahead of the Government's 2033 target.

"A fast internet connection is not some metropolitan luxury. It is an indispensable tool of modern life," he writes.

3. Despite being a massive, shameless chicken

Our Mirror Chicken at the debate studios last night (David Dyson)

Shameless coward Boris Johnson snubbed the first TV debate of the Tory leadership race last night.

Channel 4 - which hosted the debate - left a humiliating empty podium for the chicken contender.

And today it appears he's planning a repeat performance. The contender is the only one of six candidates NOT to confirm he'll attend a hustings by Westminster journalists.

The hustings is taking place in Parliament between 11.10am and 1.10pm. Slots are still free for Boris Johnson in case he has a last-minute change of heart.

The Mirror Chicken was out in force at last night's Channel 4 debate demanding Mr Johnson faces the music.

4. The second spot is still all to play for

We still don't know who's going to make second place (PA)

Last night's debate left no clear winner in the race to be the 'stop Boris' candidate.

Dominic Raab looks destined to fail as MPs rounded on his "dictatorial" threat to shut Parliament to ram through a No Deal Brexit .

But despite having different Brexit plans there was little clear water between Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove, Rory Stewart and Sajid Javid.

Each of their Brexit plans has known drawbacks and none of them are widely considered to have the sparkle to win the affections of Tory members.

Rory Stewart was the most popular with the crowd last night and announced a new backer, Paul Masterton, this morning. But his vehement opposition to No Deal Brexit means he's unlikely to ever win the Tory membership.

5. This could all lead to a general election... and a Brexit Party pact

Uh-oh for Boris (PA)

Boris Johnson's team has been forced to deny he's planning an early general election after comments he made on Saturday.

The frontrunner said he would "get Brexit done and get ready for an election," it is reported.

Even if he did mean in 2022, he may well have no choice.

Yesterday Amber Rudd, who backs Jeremy Hunt, warned the numbers are "easily there" for Tory MPs to bring down a Johnson government - forcing an election.

All it would take would be for a cluster of hard Remainers to join Labour in a no confidence vote in the government.

She told the BBC: "There are number of colleagues who have gone public saying they would consider doing that.

"And there are a number I know of privately who say that, so any candidate needs to factor that in as well into their strategy for the next few months.”

Alarmingly, the Telegraph today reports that Tory donors have opened talks with Nigel Farage about an electoral pact to not stand Brexit Party and Tory candidates against each other.

A source close to the talks told the newspaper they were "very preliminary", adding "you have to get Boris on board and that is going to be very tricky".

Boris Johnson ally James Cleverly played down talk of a pact today but didn't rule one out. He said Mr Johnson didn't make pacts as Mayor of London so "I can't imagine" he will do so now.

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