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Voting closing in race to become UK’s new prime minister

Published:Monday | July 22, 2019 | 10:17 AM
Conservative party leadership candidate Jeremy Hunt leaves the stage after a Conservative leadership hustings at ExCel Centre in London, Wednesday, July 17, 2019. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

LONDON (AP) — Voting was closing Monday in the race to become Britain’s next prime minister, as critics of likely winner Boris Johnson condemned his vow to take Britain out of the European Union with or without a divorce deal.

Members of the governing Conservative Party had until 5:00 p.m. (1600 GMT) to return postal ballots in the contest between Johnson and Jeremy Hunt to lead the party.

The winner will be announced Tuesday and will take over as the nation’s leader from Prime Minister Theresa May the following day.

Johnson, a populist former mayor of London, is the strong favorite.

Several members of May’s government have said they will resign before they can be fired by Johnson over their opposition to his threat to go through with a no-deal Brexit if he can’t secure a renegotiated settlement with the EU.

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