Defence Secretary says May would 'keep Britain safe' as PM

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has backed Theresa May as the Tory leadership candidate saying that she would keep Britain safe as prime minister.

He said May had the "track record" in matters of security as Home Secretary to take the country forward.

But he refused to criticise her opponent Andrea Leadsom when asked if there would be security risks if the relatively inexperienced junior minister won the leadership race.

Mr Fallon told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think at this point [May] has the experience, the track record, to take this country forward now, to stabilise the economy."

The UK is on course to have its second female prime minister after Margaret Thatcher, as May and Leadsom begin the task of winning votes from Tory members around the country.

Around 150,000 Conservative members will vote for the party's new leader, who will also take the keys to Number 10 and the final result will be announced on September 9.

But a campaign by former party chairman Grant Shapps to speed up the contest so a new PM is chosen by the end of the month was gathering pace and now has the backing of 44 Tories and one Labour MP.

A quicker contest could favour the higher-profile Home Secretary but Shapps, who supports May, said he is acting in the national interest.

May, who campaigned to remain in the EU, received an endorsement from The Sun newspaper that said on its front page the "new Mrs T must be Tezza not Leadsom".

Mrs Leadsom was a prominent Brexit-backer and hopes that her support for leaving the EU will win her votes from Eurosceptics in the Tory grassroots.