Mr Johnson stepped out of a side door to be driven away

Five of the aspiring prime ministers face a common challenge - to convince MPs that Boris Johnson doesn't have the race in the bag. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt did not look like a man who was about to throw in the towel when he faced the cameras. He told reporters that the party is not about to stage the type of "coronation" which saw Theresa May installed in the top job in 2016.

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With all the chutzpah he could muster, he said he would turn this into a 2005-style contest, reminiscent of when David Cameron didn't get many votes in the first ballot but "shocked everyone and won the crown".

Dominic Raab also did his best to strike a confident pose.

"I'm just getting started," he said. "I'm the candidate, I think, that can be most trusted to deliver on Brexit."

Home Secretary Sajid Javid admitted it was "clear" that Mr Johnson would be one of the final two candidates, but also stamped on the notion that he should be declared the winner, saying there must be "a proper process that's followed through". And Environment Secretary Michael Gove, now ranked as the fourth most likely Tory leader by bookmakers Willian Hill, navigated the scrum of reporters with his trademark courtesy.

He told how he received a "highly positive reception" at the hustings and said it was

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