Boris Johnson has taken what looks to be an insurmountable lead in the race to succeed Theresa May as British prime minister. May announced her resignation last month, meaning the vacancy for prime minister will be filled by the winner of an internal leadership election in the governing Conservative party. In the first round of voting Thursday, it became clear why Johnson is considered the most likely to win. Conservative lawmakers gave him 114 votes, with foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt way behind in second with 43, and Brexit leader Michael Gove third with 37. The contest will eventually be whittled down to two candidates and, barring an implosion, Johnson will make it to that stage. Voting will then be opened to all members of the Conservative party, rather than just lawmakers, and years of polling shows Johnson is by far their favored candidate.
