Updated | [WATCH] Boris Johnson will be Britain's new prime minister

Boris Johnson has won the Tory leadership race and is set to become Britain's new Prime Minister.

It was between Boris Johnson or Jeremy Hunt to become the new Conservative leader on Tuesday as the result of the contest to succeed Theresa May was announced.

Jeremy Hunt obtained 46,656 votes while Boris Johnson obtained 92,153.

The outcome of the ballot of about 160,000 Tory members was revealed just before midday in London. The turnout was that of 87.4%.

Many congratulations to @BorisJohnson on being elected leader of @Conservatives - we now need to work together to deliver a Brexit that works for the whole UK and to keep Jeremy Corbyn out of government. You will have my full support from the back benches.

— Theresa May (@theresa_may) July 23, 2019

Johnson will officially be announced as the new prime minister on Wednesday, replacing Theresa May. May took to Twitter to congratulate Johnson urging him to deliver a Brexit that works for the whole UK and to keep Jeremy Corbyn out of government.

In his winning speech, Johnson promised he would do so and he thanked May for her "service to Britain in difficult times".

Johnson, a former mayor of London, was seen as the clear favourite although a number of senior figures have said they will not serve under him.

Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson

May, who is standing down after a revolt by Conservative MPs over her Brexit policy, will chair her last cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning.

She will officially tend her resignation to the Queen on Wednesday afternoon after taking part in her final Prime Minister's Questions.

Johnson will take office shortly afterwards, following an audience at Buckingham Palace.

United States President Donald Trump took to Twitter to congratulate Johnson on his new role, adding that "he will be great."

Congratulations to Boris Johnson on becoming the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He will be great!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 23, 2019

Conservative members have been voting by post for the past two and a half weeks. It is the first time they will have selected a serving prime minister.

Since he made the final two candidates last month, Johnson - who led the Leave campaign in the 2016 Brexit referendum - had been regarded as the clear frontrunner.

Former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab told Sky News Johnson was "best placed" to unite the party as he had won the backing of more than 50% of MPs in the first stage of the race.

Communities Secretary James Brokenshire told Channel 4 News that Johnson was the "right person to get a deal with Europe" on the terms of the UK's exit and "make it stick" in Parliament - which has rejected May's agreement three times.

The month-long leadership campaign has been dominated by arguments over Brexit.

Hunt, the foreign secretary, has said he is better placed to secure a negotiated exit and would be prepared to ask for more time beyond the Halloween deadline to finalise it.

Johnson has said he is determined to take the UK out of the EU on 31 October, if necessary without a deal. He has said all ministers must "reconcile" themselves to this.

The cabinet is therefore expected to go through a reshuffle when Johnson enters Downing Street on Wednesday.

Sir Alan Duncan, who quit his Foreign Office role on Monday, had called for MPs to have a vote before this on whether they actually back Johnson forming a government.

However, his request was turned down by Commons Speaker John Bercow.

Nationalist Party congratulates Johnson

The Nationalist Party congratulated Johnson on his election, which it described as "important and full of responsibility in this particular moment".

The PN said that over the years it had maintained good relationships with the UK Conservative Party, adding that it hoped that these relationships would continue to flourish in the coming years.