London: Boris Johnson has been elected as the Conservative party leader and Britain's new Prime Minister, his party announced on Tuesday.

Johnson, the former foreign secretary, secured 92,153 votes against 46,656 of his rival Jeremy Hunt in the battle for 10 Downing Street, which was triggered last month when a Brexit-battered Theresa May announced her resignation amid a mounting rebellion from within the party.

The 55-year-old Brexit hardliner was the front-runner in the race ever since a group of Tory MPs put their hat in the ring for the first phase of the leadership election within the Conservative parliamentary party.

In his victory speech, Mr Johnson promised that he would "deliver Brexit, unite the country and defeat Jeremy Corbyn".

"We are going to energise the country. We are going to get Brexit done on October 31 and take advantage of all the opportunities it will bring with a new spirit of can do. We are once again going to believe in ourselves, and like some slumbering giant we are going to rise and ping off the guy ropes of self-doubt and negativity," he said while speaking at the Queen Elizabeth II centre in London.

Mr Johnson thanked his predecessor, May, saying it had been "a privilege to serve in her Cabinet". He was her foreign secretary until resigning over Brexit.

The outgoing PM in turn congratulated her successor, promising him her "full support from the backbenches", reports said.