SOUTH West Surrey MP Jeremy Hunt has lost out in the race to be Tory leader and Prime Minister to Boris Johnson.

The former Mayor of London and clear front-runner throughout the contest almost doubled his rival’s number of votes – with Mr Johnson polling 92,153 votes to Mr Hunt’s 46,656.

Mr Hunt congratulated Boris as the results were announced, shaking hands with his rival and giving him a hearty pat on the back as the victor took to the stage.

And, addressing the crowd of Conservative Party members, Mr Johnson paid tribute to the South West Surrey MP for a well-fought campaign – joking that he could now steal all his best ideas.

The new Tory leader will take the reigns as Prime Minister on Wednesday, and is expected to announce his cabinet shortly afterwards.

Full story in this week’s Herald, on sale Thursday...