Naming of Britain’s new PM nears as counting of votes starts in leadership battle

Voting among 160,000 Conservative Party members closed at 5 p.m. localtime, just hours after Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan resigned hisgovernment job in protest against Boris Johnson likely to be the person toenter 10 Downing Street.

Other senior ministers, including Chancellor of the Exchequer PhilipHammond and Justice Secretary David Gauke have both said publicly they wouldresign if Johnson is declared the winner on Tuesday.

Party officials will count the votes from around the country during thenight before the results expected on Tuesday.

Wednesday is already lined up as an historic day in British politics,with Theresa May making her last ever appearance at Prime Minister's QuestionTime in the House of Commons. She is also expected to make a farewell speech.

Early Wednesday afternoon May will travel to Buckingham Palace to offerher resignation as prime minister to Queen Elizabeth. An hour later the winnerof the leadership contest will also travel to the palace to be appointed asprime minister by the British monarch.

The winner will then head to 10 Downing Street where a speech will bemade in front of one of the world's most famous front doors at around 5 p.m.

The Daily Telegraph reported Monday that should Johnson win, hisgirlfriend Carrie Symonds will not join him for his big moment entering DowningStreet as prime minister. The Telegraph said Johnson will enter his new homealone as Symonds does not want to become a distraction «on the mostimportant day of his life».

During early Wednesday evening the new prime minister is expected tostart the task of assembling a new cabinet, with the great offices of state,foreign secretary, home secretary and defense secretary all likely to be amongthe first to be appointed.

The handing out of jobs, ranging from secretaries of state to juniorministers is expected to take several days before the full team is finalized.

Political commentators say one of the problems for Johnson to navigate,if he wins the contest, will be the arrival of heavyweights such as Hammond,Gauke and Duncan on the back benches in the House of Commons. There, they willno longer be shackled by the assumed rules of collective responsibility,expected of government ministers.

Further down the line, he has vowed to bring Britain out of the EuropeanUnion on Oct. 31, with or without a deal with Brussels.

Pro-Europe Conservatives are already threatening to block a no-dealdeparture.