Today, Britain came one step closer to finding out who its shiny new prime minister will be - courtesy of the Conservative Party.
All 313 of the party's MPs voted in their first secret ballot, in which any Tory leadership hopeful who received less than five percent of the vote (17 ballot papers) was knocked out.
The country heaved a collective sigh of relief as Esther McVey and Andrea Leadsom were booted out of the race, and most likely a confused shrug for Mark Harper.
Boris Johnson swept the board with 114 votes, while Jeremy Hunt and Michael Gove battled it out for second place.
Candidates will have to gain 10 percent in votes next week as the candidates are whittled down to two.
Since the departure of Ms Leadsom and Ms McVey left the field full of males, these two chosen men will then be at the mercy of the entire Conservative Party membership (124,000 people) before a leader is announced on 22 July.
Yep. This farce lasts for almost another six weeks.
Here were the results of the ballot:
Boris Johnson - 114
Jeremy Hunt - 43
Michael Gove - 37
Dominic Raab - 27
Sajid Javid - 23
Matt Hancock - 20
Rory Stewart - 19
Andrea Leadsom - 11
Mark Harper - 10
Esther McVey - 9
While outgoing prime minister Theresa May told reporters it was "none of their business" who her preferred candidate was, many others were quick to share their thoughts.
Esther McVey, Andrea Leadsom and Mark Harper eliminated...It's like the Hunger Games...finding sponsors to survive!… https://t.co/qVVTySfPrv— Milena ZP👩🏻🦽🇮🇹🇪🇺🏴 (@Milena ZP👩🏻🦽🇮🇹🇪🇺🏴) 1560428092
“Ten Tory MPs thought Mark Harper would be the best Prime Minister. Nine of them thought Esther McVey was the best” https://t.co/MyvZqTts16— Zorro P Freely (@Zorro P Freely) 1560428771
@GrahamP58 thank gods at least McVey is gone. in a competitive field, she was probaby the most extremely far-right… https://t.co/Fk60DtXcA9— Seymour Strangely (@Seymour Strangely) 1560428090
It's possible to acknowledge, as I do, that Andrea Leadsom & Esther McVey were awful candidates & still to find it… https://t.co/j4NyAQ8HQU— Catherine Mayer (@Catherine Mayer) 1560430696
Leadsom, McVey and Mark “who he?” Harper knocked out in Round One of Tory Battle Royale. Fraudulent Fatberg tops poll, quelle surprise.— OH GOD, WHAT NOW? Formerly Remainiacs (@OH GOD, WHAT NOW? Formerly Remainiacs) 1560428572
While the most memorable part of Esther McVey's short-lived campaign was probably her roasting by former colleague Lorraine Kelly, that nasty bit where she said children shouldn't be taught about the existence of LGBT+ people at primary school will likely stick in the minds of many.
McVey. Last. https://t.co/2IOGKerX9K— Dorian Gray (@Dorian Gray) 1560428062
There are nine Conservative MPs who think Esther Mcvey would make a good Prime Minister. I’m guessing you can vote… https://t.co/DRzv6OfGG2— Andrew Sperling (@Andrew Sperling) 1560428090
Remember that time Esther McVey ran to be the next Prime Minister? The whole country: https://t.co/7QS7FsE8IT— Liam Beattie (@Liam Beattie) 1560428079
People were similarly delighted by Andrea Leadsom's exit.
The nations Dalmatains breathe a sigh of relief as Andrea Leadsom is knocked out of the race to become Prime Minister.— Matt Cross (@Matt Cross) 1560428171
The great human tragedy of Andrea Leadsom is that she can see why she would be the greatest Prime Minister in histo… https://t.co/DT339G41oo— Otto English (@Otto English) 1560428763
Anyone left bemused as to who Mark Harper is might remember the guy who had his cleaner deported.
You aren't invited to the party, Mark. But at least you're not getting deported from it like your cleaner was after… https://t.co/wB60MaOQwI— Gpoptosis (@Gpoptosis) 1560428419
Goodbye Mark Harper, it was nice knowing you existed— Monsieur von Kraut (@Monsieur von Kraut) 1560428536
Bad news for women: the next prime minister will not be a woman. Also, bad news for people who nobody has any idea… https://t.co/g2P7IFTRyC— Alexander Velky (@Alexander Velky) 1560428511
Pour one out for Mark Harper, never to be heard from again— Rohan (@Rohan) 1560428507
People were less excited about the news of Boris Johnson, the man who once wrote an article in The Spectator saying black people have lower IQs than white people, solidifying his position as frontrunner.
Boris Johnson may be the gif that keeps on giving, but his record as Mayor speaks for itself. That’s before we get… https://t.co/T58e6asd4b— Wes Streeting MP (@Wes Streeting MP) 1560428298
Congratulations to all them Tory MPs who have put Steve Bannon through to the next round. #BorisJohnson— Leftheartbeat (@Leftheartbeat) 1560428302
The idea of Boris Johnson being PM legit makes me feel sick to my stomach. He's a truly awful piece of work and we… https://t.co/njZXk8RMnY— Gaping Dragon STAN (@Gaping Dragon STAN) 1560428302
The crown will now get a clown for its prime minister #BorisJohnson— 🇺🇲TradeTexasBig🇮🇳 (@🇺🇲TradeTexasBig🇮🇳) 1560428300