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Senior Labour MPs are to put pressure on Jeremy Corbyn to back a second Brexit referendum as another Tory leadership candidate faces being eliminated from the race following a TV debate which saw no clear winner.
Conservative MPs will decide which of the five remaining contenders – Boris Johnson, Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove, Rory Stewart and Sajid Javid – deserves their support in a third round, after Dominic Raab was forced out on Tuesday.
The first debate involving frontrunner Mr Johnson on Tuesday night ended with no clear winner after a debate taking in Brexit, Islamophobia and tax cuts.
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As the candidate who currently has the fewest number of backers, there are rumours Sajid Javid could drop out, but supporter Stephen Crabb MP told Newsnight his favourite had performed well in the debates and was not about to quit.
“Did Sajid Javid look like a man who’s about to throw in the towel or about to be knocked out of the contest?” Mr Crabb said.
“He fought tonight, I thought he gave – in a difficult format – he gave a good display of what he can offer the country.”
Adam Forrest has covered the five key Boris Johnson moments from last night’s debate:
The first debate involving frontrunner Mr Johnson last night is unlikely to have swayed many MPs’ minds, ending with no clear winner after a fractious debate taking in Brexit, Islamophobia, tax cuts and climate change.
However, Michael Gove claimed he “won the debate” on BBC Newsnight, “because I had the most detailed answers and I have a clear plan to how we can deliver Brexit and make sure we get all the benefits of life outside the European Union”.
Welcome to The Independent‘s live coverage of the third round in the Tory leadership race.
Last night’s vote saw Dominic Raab forced out, leaving Boris Johnson, Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove, Rory Stewart and Sajid Javid still in the running.
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