Shropshire Star comment: Problems even for the winner

Bookies favourite Boris Johnson was backed by more than a third of the party’s MPs in the first round ballot, putting him 71 votes ahead of his nearest competitor Jeremy Hunt.

It means it is almost unthinkable that he will not make the final two, at which point party members will have their say.

The former Foreign Secretary’s popularity among Conservative voters is unquestionable, leading many to believe that he is already home and hosed.

However, even though this is a shorter than usual contest, Mr Johnson is not yet over the finish line.

It is worth remembering that David Cameron came from behind in 2005, edging out David Davis, who he had trailed after the first ballot.

But with such a large body of support in his favour, it may well be that the only thing that can beat Mr Johnson this time is the man himself.

There is a big reason why, while all of the other candidates were scrambling for attention earlier this week, Mr Johnson remained unusually quiet.

His team knows that as far as Mr Johnson is concerned, the contest is his to lose.

And the less often he is plonked in front of the television cameras, the less likely he is to drop a clanger.

Up to now the tactic appears to have worked.

Despite facing criticism from sections of the national media – which is water off a duck’s back to Mr Johnson – he ended up increasing his support over the course of the week by around 30 MPs.

It puts Team Boris in an unusual position, with the key to guaranteeing victory seemingly being to keep a man who naturally hogs the spotlight tucked away in the shadows.

At some point over the coming week he will come up against some testing questions, particularly if he takes part in the televised leadership debates.

Of course, even if Mr Johnson does end up coasting into Number 10, his problems will really start in earnest.

He will be fully aware that delivering Brexit and beating Jeremy Corbyn in a general election will not be easy tasks.