ANDREA Leadsom has quit the race to become Conservative leader and prime minister.
The Brexit campaigner has conceded defeat to frontrunner Theresa May just four days after entering the final round of the leadership contest.
It appears to pave the way for Mrs May to become prime minister.
Mrs Leadsom said: "The interests of our country are best served from the immediate appointment of a Prime Minister with strong leadership.
"I wish Theresa May the very best."
The news follows a bitter row over Mrs Leadsom's suggestion in a newspaper interview that her motherhood gave her an advantage over her rival, who is childless.
Mrs Leadsom, a junior energy minister, had won loyal support from the Tory right but upset many of her colleagues with the claims.
Her withdrawal means the contest is unlikely to go to the party membership.
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