IT'S a choice you don't get to make - for now - unless you're a member of the Conservatives.

But the Daily Echo wants to know who you want as our next prime minister.

The Tory leadership race has narrowed to two candidates: Home Secretary Theresa May and energy minister Andrea Leadsom.

One of them will become the country's first female PM since Margaret Thatcher.

Only members of the Conservative party will be able to vite for the next leader of their party, but you can vote in the Daily Echo poll below to have your say.

Julian Lewis, Conservative MP for New Forest East, has already come out supporting Mrs Leadsom, describing her as a "phenomenon".

Many other Hampshire MPs back Mrs May, including Caroline Nokes (Romsey and Southampton North) and Steve Brine (Winchester).

Mr Lewis said of his fellow Brexit campaigner: "Andrea struck me as someone with star quality from the moment that she entered the commons. I saw that she had poise, I saw that she had versatility – the ability to talk sensibly about any subject under the sun – and I saw that she had expertise, especially on financial matters.

"But when she joined the Brexit campaign at a time that the prospects were not looking good, I saw the fourth and most vital characteristic: she had political courage as well. She's a phenomenon."

Justice Secretary Michael Gove was knocked out of the leadership contest yesterday after receiving 46 votes to Ms May's 199 and Ms Leadsom's 84.

"I believe that Andrea is outstanding," Mr Lewis added. "I am convinced that she has something special to offer."

However, Ms Leadsom has been forced to release her CV and then deny she massaged her employment history to make it look like she held more senior roles.

The energy minister achieved prominence taking a leading role in the Brexit campaign and leapfrogged more senior rivals amid a Tory battle which saw Boris Johnson drop out of the race after Michael Gove sensationally decided to run against him.

In fact, it was Mr Johnson's reported failure to keep a promise to make clear that Mrs Leadsom would serve in his "top three" cabinet positions that may have driven Mr Gove to his about-turn, according to some observers.

As a member of the 2010 intake of so-called "Cameroon" MPs, the 53-year-old said leaving the European Union would be a "disaster" but now insists she has been on a "journey" and campaigned to leave after being convinced the bloc was "not reformable".