Tory leadership race: Boris Johnson vs Jeremy Hunt - how do they compare?

The vote to choose between Mr Johnson and Jeremy Hunt will close on July 22, with the results revealed the following day.
PA
Stephanie Cockroft20 June 2019
WEST END FINAL

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Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt have made it through to the final two of the Tory leadership contest.

Mr Johnson secured support from more than half the Tory Party in the Commons with 160 votes, while Mr Hunt had 77 votes, just ahead of Environment Secretary Michael Gove on 75.

Party members will now decide the new leader, who will become the country's new prime minister.

How do the two MPs competing to become the next Conservative leader measure up head-to-head?

Here are nine comparisons of the two candidates:

Cabinet experience

Mr Johnson has two years of Cabinet experience, when he served as foreign secretary from 2016 to 2018.

Mr Hunt has been a Cabinet member continuously since the 2010 general election, serving as culture secretary from 2010 to 2012, then health secretary from 2012 to 2018, and most recently as foreign secretary since 2018. Mr Hunt holds the record for the longest-serving health secretary in British political history.

Other political experience

Mr Johnson spent eight years as the directly-elected mayor of London, holding the post from 2008 to 2016. Before becoming mayor, and while still an MP, Mr Johnson had brief spells as a shadow arts minister and shadow higher education minister.

Before entering the Cabinet in 2010, Mr Hunt spent three years as shadow culture secretary in David Cameron's shadow cabinet. He also had a stint as shadow minister for disabled people.

Years spent as an MP

Mr Johnson has clocked up 11 years as an MP. He represented Henley for seven years from 2001 to 2008, stepping down when he became mayor of London. He has been MP for Uxbridge & South Ruislip since 2015.

Mr Hunt has been an MP for 14 years. He has represented Surrey South West since 2005.

Majority in own constituency

Mr Johnson has a majority of 5,034 in his seat of Uxbridge & South Ruislip. If he becomes prime minister, he will have the smallest constituency majority of any new PM since 1924.

By contrast, Mr Hunt's majority in Surrey South West is currently 21,590.

Age

Mr Johnson is 55 years old; Mr Hunt is 52.

Swing needed to be defeated at a general election

Mr Johnson would lose his seat on a 5.4% swing to Labour. Mr Johnson's constituency of Uxbridge & South Ruislip ranks 57th on a list of Conservative seats most vulnerable to a swing to Labour.

A swing of 17.9% would be needed to defeat Mr Hunt in his seat of Surrey South West, based on the result in 2017 when a candidate for the National Health Action party came second.

Vote in 2016 EU referendum

Mr Johnson campaigned for Leave in the 2016 EU referendum. Mr Hunt supported Remain.

Stance on Brexit

Mr Johnson says Britain must leave the EU by October 31, regardless of whether a fresh deal has been brokered with Brussels.

Addressing the October 31 deadline for Brexit, he said it must be met "otherwise, I'm afraid, we face a catastrophic loss of confidence in politics".

He has insisted he does not want Britain to depart without a deal, but that the Government must prepare for that eventuality as a "last resort".

Mr Hunt warned his party colleagues that the Conservatives would be "annihilated" if they entered a general election before Brexit.

During Tuesday's debate, Mr Hunt said he would delay beyond October 31 if a deal was in reach, as "if we were nearly there, then I would take a bit longer".

Number of votes in leadership contest

Mr Johnson got 114 votes in the first ballot of Tory MPs, 126 in the second ballot, 143 in the third ballot, 157 in the fourth ballot and 160 in the final ballot.

Mr Hunt got 43 votes in the first ballot, 46 in the second ballot, 54 in the third ballot, 59 in the fourth ballot and 77 in the final ballot.

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