A week after he ended Boris Johnson's hopes of becoming the next Prime Minister, Justice Secretary Michael Gove expressed his disappointment at also crashing out of the race.

The Conservative MP said he hoped to continue to argue for the "vulnerable and the voiceless".

But he refused to say who he was now backing to lead the Conservative party - despite previously suggesting Theresa May could not do the job.

In a surprise move Mr Gove actually lost support in the final round of MP votes .

Overnight his campaign manager Nick Boles had been forced to apologise after it emerged he sent some Tory MPs a text message saying that he was “seriously frightened" about the potential for energy minister Andrea Leadsom to become Prime Minister.

The apology did little to ease anger among some in the party.

In the end Mr Gove secured two fewer votes than he had on Tuesday, despite the number of candidates shrinking from five to three.

After Mrs May and Mrs Leadsom were announced as the candidates to go forward to a vote among Tory members, Mr Gove paid tribute to them both.

They were “formidable politicians” who fought great campaigns and deserve to be in the final two, he said.

He added that he was "naturally disappointed" that his leadership bid had failed.

But he welcomed the fact that the next Prime Minister would be a woman.

“It will be a female prime minister and a female Prime Minister ... and I know whichever one of the two wins they will lead this country well," he said.

Mr Gove has previously said that the top job would have to got to someone who campaigned to leave the European Union – a statement that would appear to rule out Mrs May, who backed a Remain vote.

But in the immediate aftermath of the result he would not be draw on who he was now backing, saying instead: "I'm backing Britain."

Mr Gove's humiliation came exactly seven days after his dramatic eleventh-hour withdrawal of his support for fellow Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson.

Within hours Mr Johnson had announced that he was pulling out of the contest.

Furious Tory MPs rounded on their colleague accusing him of knifing Mr Johnson "in the front" and suggesting that his actions had earned him a special place in hell.

By the weekend it emerged that Mrs Leadsom was securing the support of more Tory MPs.

The attacks continued as the week went on, with one Tory MPs accusing Mr Gove of being too keen to gossip, especially when he has had a drink.

Mr Gove said that he would continue be an “advocate for those who need government most".

“It’s now up to the Conservative party, and indeed the wider country, to assess the skills, the abilities, and the leadership potential of these two candidates,” he said.

“I hope over the course of the next few weeks we will have an opportunity to have a debate about the direction in which the country should go which will be civilised, inclusive, positive and optimistic.

“I’m glad that in the course of the last week I’ve been able to play a part in that debate by standing up for people on average and below-average wages, calling for greater economic and social justice, and saying that our first concern should always be the fate of the vulnerable and the voiceless, the dispossessed and the powerless in our society.

“I hope in the future to continue to be a voice for those people and an advocate for those who need government most.”