Theresa May has surrendered to pressure from her party
and named 7th June as her resignation as Conservative leader, drawing
her turbulent three-year premiership to a close.
Speaking in Downing Street, May said it had been “the honour
of my life” to serve as Britain’s second female prime minister.
Her voice breaking, she said she would leave “with no ill
will, but
with enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve the country I love”.
with enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve the country I love”.
The prime minister listed a series of what she said were her
government’s
achievements, including tackling the deficit, reducing unemployment and boosting funding for mental health.
achievements, including tackling the deficit, reducing unemployment and boosting funding for mental health.
But she admitted: “It is and will alway remain a matter of
deep regret to me that I have not been able to deliver Brexit.”
May’s announcement came after a meeting with Graham Brady,
the chair of the backbench 1922 Committee – which was prepared to trigger a
second no-confidence vote in her leadership if she refused to resign.
Her fate was sealed after a 10-point “new Brexit deal”,
announced in a speech on Tuesday, infuriated Tory backbenchers and many of her
own cabinet – while falling flat with the Labour MPs it was meant to persuade.
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