Theresa May resigns: UK set for new PM

 

Theresa May the prime minister said the failure to deliver Brexit was a matter of “deep regret”. “Ever since I first stepped through the door behind me as prime minister, I have striven to make the United Kingdom a country that works not just for a privileged few, but for everyone. In 2016 we gave the British people a choice and they decided to leave the EU and to honour the result of the EU referendum. I negotiated the terms of our exit and a new relationship with our closest neighbours that protects jobs, our security and our Union. I have done everything I can to convince MPs to nack that deal,  sadly, I have not been able to do so. I tried three times. But it is now clear to me that it is in the best interests of the country for a new prime minister to lead the effort. So  I am today announcing that I will resign as leader of the Conservative  and Unionist Party on Friday 7 June so that a successor  can be chosen. I have agreed with the party chairman and with the chairman of the 1922 Committee that the process for electing a new leader should begin in the following week. I have kept Her Majesty the Queen fully informed of my intentions, and I will continue to serve as her prime minister until the process has concluded. It will be for the successor to seek a way forward that honours the result of the referendum. To succeed he or she will have to find consensus in Parliament where I have not. Such a consensus can only be reached if those on all sides of the debate are willing to compromise. The referendum was not just a call to leave the EU but for profound change in our country. A call to make the United Kingdom a country that truly works for everyone, I am proud of the progress we have made over the last three years.

We have helped more people than ever enjoy the security of a job. We are building more homes and helping first-time buyers onto the housing ladder so young people can enjoy the opportunities their parents did. And we are protecting the environment, eliminating plastic waste, tackling climate change and improving air quality. Our politics may be under strain, but there is so much that is good about this country. So much to be proud of. So much to be optimistic about.

I’ll shortly leave the job that it has been the honour of my life to hold – the second female prime minister but certainly not the last. I do so with no ill-will, but with enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve the country I love”.

Five Conservative MPs  have already declared their intention to become the next prime minister including former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, International Development Secretary Rory Stewart, Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Former Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey.

Announcing his candidacy Mr Hancock ruled out a snap general election in order to resolve the Brexit stalemate saying this would be “disastrous for the country” and would primarily risk seeing the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in power “by Christmas”.

The Conservative Party had 124, 000 members, as of March last year. The last leader elected by the membership was David Cameron in 2005, as Theresa may was unopposed in 2016.