Boris Johnson set for a landslide victory as he overwhelms Jeremy Hunt in latest poll
2 min read
Boris Johnson looks almost certain to be the UK's next Prime Minister after a poll of Conservative Party members gave him a huge lead over Jeremy Hunt.
The YouGov survey for The Times poll put support for Mr Johnson at 74%, compared to just 26% for his rival to succeed Theresa May.
The findings were revealed as ballot papers are delivered to Tory members across the country.
With the vast majority of them expected to vote quickly, it means Mr Hunt has a mountain to climb if he is to stop Mr Johnson entering Number 10.
Elsewhere, the poll also showed that only 13% of Conservative members believe that the UK will not leave the EU by 31 October with Boris Johnson as Prime Minister, compared to 72% if Mr Hunt wins the leadership race.
Some 90% believe that Mr Johnson would take the UK out of the EU without a deal, compared to just 27% for Mr Hunt.
Mr Hunt urged party members to wait until this week's head-to-head debate on ITV before casting their ballots.
He told The Times: "The big message I want to give to Conservative Party members is wait to see me and Boris in action on the TV debates - try before you buy."
Meanwhile, Mr Johnson's supporters have encouraged members to return their ballot immediately.
Former Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson shared a post on Instagram that read: "As soon as you get your ballot, vote for Boris".
Sir John Major endorsed Mr Hunt yesterday, and called for Tory members to wait until the head-to-head debate before casting their vote, adding that the candidates should be “properly examined”.
Speaking to the BBC’s Hard Talk, he continued, “I hope everybody before casting their vote will wait a little while. We need to see the two candidates properly examined by the media. We need to see both candidates appearing before the media, answering the difficult questions, explaining what they will do, explaining how they will do it.”
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