Next UK prime minister: Final 2 candidates vie for top post
Updated 18:29, 22-Jun-2019
Yang Zhao
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Boris Johnson will take on Jeremy Hunt as the race for Britain's next prime minister enters its final stretch. Former London mayor Johnson topped the most recent round of voting with 160 votes from Conservative MPs, while Foreign Secretary Hunt won 77. The winner will be declared on July 22.

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Boris Johnson was educated at Oxford University, where he was a friend of David Cameron, who would go on to become the British Prime Minister. Johnson started his career as a journalist but was fired from his first job at the Times Newspaper for making up quotes. During his time at the Daily Telegraph as Brussels correspondent, his articles helped increase anti-EU sentiments in Britain.

Johnson became a member of parliament in 2001 and won two terms as London's mayor from 2008 to 2016. During that time, he presided over the 2011 London riots and 2012 London Olympics. In 2016, he became one of the most recognizable faces of the Brexit campaign. When Cameron resigned after the referendum, Johnson bid to replace him and failed. Theresa May won the premiership and appointed Johnson foreign secretary, but he resigned in 2018 over May's strategy on Brexit.

Jeremy Hunt arrives at the Foreign Secretary's Grace and Favour residence in Westminster, London, June 20, 2019. /VCG Photo

Jeremy Hunt arrives at the Foreign Secretary's Grace and Favour residence in Westminster, London, June 20, 2019. /VCG Photo

The number two figure, Jeremy Hunt, is also an Oxford alumnus. He had an early career as an English teacher in Japan and became an MP in the 2005 general election. In 2010, he joined the cabinet as Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport and worked closely with then London mayor Boris Johnson. In 2012, he was appointed health secretary and served the longest tenure in this post in UK history. Hunt became foreign secretary in 2018 after his predecessor Johnson resigned.

Both candidates support Brexit, but Johnson says Britain must leave the EU on time, with or without a deal, whereas Hunt is prepared to delay the exit date if a deal is within sight.

(Video Editor: Wang Yushen)