UK Tories to pick final 2 contenders for prime minister

Britain’s governing Conservatives are set to pick two candidates who will square off to become the country’s next prime minister.

Lawmakers will vote Thursday to eliminate two contenders from a four-strong field of ex-foreign minister Boris Johnson, current Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Environment Secretary Michael Gove and Home Secretary Sajid Javid.

Johnson has a commanding lead after three rounds of voting that cut the list from an initial 10 contenders. The three others are battling to join him in a runoff to be decided by 160,000 Conservative Party members nationwide.

All the candidates are vowing to lead Britain out of the European Union, a challenge that defeated Prime Minister Theresa May. She quit as Conservative leader earlier this month after failing to win Parliament’s backing for her Brexit deal.