It was entirely fitting in a week dominated by a Mercury-Mars opposition to Pluto and Saturn that tensions between the US and Iran were ratcheted up following the downing of an American drone in the Gulf of Oman and political futures hung in the balance. In the United States, President Trump spoke at the first rally of the 2020 election which will decide whether he stays or goes, and in the United Kingdom the election for the next Tory leader yielded the two candidates who must slug it out over the next four weeks to become the future prime minister.

Boris Johnson’s destiny to be in the final run-off was never in doubt. From the outset, he had more of the votes than almost all the other candidates combined. It fell to Thursday’s nail-biting conclusion to decide whether the other contender would be Michael Gove or Jeremy Hunt. Hunt won by a mere two votes.

But, as so many have pointed out, it’s not over till its over. And Mr Johnson and his team are by no means home and dry. Hunt has promised Johnson “the fight of his life”.

A couple of Friday Bites ago, I looked at the eleven candidates running in the leadership election, and placed Johnson and Hunt at the top of the list. This was no mean feat given the only accurate birth data we had was for Boris Johnson. We had to rely on sunrise charts for everyone else, including Jeremy Hunt.

There are four weeks to go before the Tory leader is announced. On Saturday, 22 June, hustings (temporary platforms for candidates to address electors) are set to take place all over the country and out of those assemblies 160,000 Conservative party members will cast their votes. In the week of the 22nd July we’ll know the result.

Boris is a strongly Gemini individual (Sun, Mercury, Venus and Mars in this sign) and a total of seven planets in mutable signs. Libra rises. There is no doubting Johnson’s charisma, which is a key attribute for a leader, plus he has intellectual brilliance, but that charm and diffidence serve to mask a devious and duplicitous nature. Really and truly, he can’t be trusted. He’s not what it says on the tin, even though he acts as the most honest and forthright of individuals. And this is a particularly dangerous vulnerability at a time when Neptune is squaring his natal Mercury. He could be hoisted by his own petard and fall victim to the dirty tricks brigade.

Jeremy, on the other hand, is a Scorpio with Jupiter in Leo squaring his Sun-Venus conjunction. Despite his air of insouciance he’s a tough cookie. He has a Moon in Gemini widely squaring a Mars-Pluto-Uranus triple conjunction, so he’s not entirely without guile and capable of spinning a fine yarn too. However, that Scorpio element to his character, gives him staying power and an ability to fight a seemingly losing battle and win. So, he shouldn’t be ruled out.

During the second and final two weeks of the contest two eclipses and further oppositions to the Saturn-Pluto conjunction will dominate the astrology. And one of those eclipses – the total solar eclipse of 2nd July – will fall on Johnson’s Mid-heaven. This is a major indication of an important career development; it holds the promise of the mantle of leadership. But eclipses are tricky things and there is always a sting in the tail of a positive eclipse event. And with Mercury retrograding from the 7th of July, decisions may well be regretted.

Of course, this same sentiment applies should Hunt win the leadership battle. The only factor we know for sure is that Uranus, the planet of change, will be opposing his Sun-Venus conjunction and squaring his Jupiter. This configuration could upset his chances of becoming a future prime minister, but they might equally well point to a dramatic and unexpected elevation to power.

Whatever the final verdict, we can expect a vertiginous ride to the finishing post.