The United Kingdom’s Former Defence Secretary Liam Fox was voted out of the race to lead the ruling Conservative party on Tuesday. The vote by 329 Tory MPs will determine the successor to current Prime Minister David Cameron, who had announced his decision to step down after Britain voted to leave the European Union in the referendum on June 23. Cameron had campaigned for Britain to remain with the EU.

Home Secretary Theresa May, pipped to be the favourite, got the most votes – 165. Energy Minister Andrea Leasom came in a far second with 66 votes, while Justice Secretary Michael Gove got 48 votes. Gove had made a surprise announcement to run for Tory leadership after maintaining for months that he would back former London Mayor Boris Johnson. Johnson, who was up till then considered a strong contender for the post, promptly decided to pull out after being undercut by Gove.

Work and Pensions Secretary Stephen Crabb got 34 votes, while Fox ended up with just 16. To bring the number of candidates down to two, the next few rounds in the selection process will be held on Thursday and the following Tuesday. Members of the party will choose from two candidates with the highest backing from MPs. The winner will be declared on September 9.