Theresa May resigns: Prime Minister in tears as she tells UK she will quit on June 7 with leadership in tatters over Brexit

Tearful Theresa May resigns as Prime Minister in address to the nation outside No10 She said that holding the position was the "honour of her life" Mrs May will stand down formally on June 7 and leave when successor is chosen Leadership challenger Boris Johnson says: "We will leave the EU on October 31, deal or no deal" Follow the latest news and reaction LIVE
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A tearful Theresa May bowed to the inevitable today and quit as Prime Minister.

Her voice breaking with emotion, Mrs May said: “I will 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.”

Standing in Downing Street, Mrs May announced she will resign formally as Tory leader on June 7 and leave as Prime Minister when her successor is chosen, probably in mid to late July.

In a key message to her successor who will shortly have to grapple with Brexit, she quoted Sir Nicholas Winton, organiser of the kindertransport at the outbreak of World War II, who once told her: “Compromise is not a dirty word.”

Mrs May broke down towards the end of her emotional speech
Reuters

Her short valedictory was watched by husband Philip standing with close aides, but there was no embrace for the cameras at the end. Mrs May simply turned around and walked back into 10 Downing Street.

Half an hour later, the couple were driven home to Sonning, Berkshire, while Tory contenders for the leadership stepped up their campaigns.

Hours after she resigned, Boris Johnson said at an economic conference in Switzerland: "We will leave the EU on October 31, deal or no deal... The way to get a good deal is to prepare for a no deal. To get things done you need to be prepared to walk away."

Mrs May’s statement followed a meeting with Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbenchers, who carried a message from Tory MPs that her time was up.

Theresa May walks back inside No10 after addressing the nation saying she will step down
Yui Mok/PA

At 9.45am, officials carried out broadcasting equipment and a lectern and set them up outside the black front door of No 10.

Just after 10am, Mr May walked outside and stood attentively just out of camera view, along with chief of staff Gavin Barwell.

Mrs May said she had done “everything I can” to deliver Brexit but could not gain the necessary support. It was, she said, now in the “best interests of the country for a new prime minister to lead that effort”.

“So I am today announcing that I will resign as leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party on Friday 7th June so that a successor can be chosen,” she said.

But she warned that her successor, who could be a Brexiteer such as Boris Johnson, must build a consensus in Parliament.

Recalling the words of Sir Nicholas, hailed as “Britain’s Schindler” after saving hundreds of children from Nazi tyranny, she said: “At another time of political controversy, a few years before his death, he took me to one side at a local event and gave me a piece of advice.

Theresa May leaving No10
Reuters

“He said: ‘Never forget that compromise is not a dirty word. Life depends on compromise.’ He was right.”

On the impasse in Parliament, she said: “It is and will always remain a matter of deep regret that I have not been able to deliver Brexit.

“It will be for my 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.”

Mrs May's voice broke into tears as she announced her resignation
Reuters

Mrs May spoke of her unfinished mission to solve “burning injustices” and said: “I have striven to make the UK a country that works not just for a privileged few but for everyone and to honour the result of the EU referendum.”

Injecting a positive note, she stressed: “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.”

Mrs May portrayed her departure as her own decision, taken in consultation with colleagues.

But the brutal political reality was spelled out by one of Whitehall’s veterans. Former Cabinet secretary Lord O’Donnell told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Let’s be clear about what’s happening here. The 1922 Committee are coming in with a revolver and basically pointing it at her head.

“[Sir Graham] will leave the room, possibly leave the revolver in there. So she will then, I think, say, ‘It makes sense for me to take hold of this process, announce my resignation’.”

Mrs May steps out of No10 to make her speech
PA

Jacob Rees-Mogg, who is backing Mr Johnson to be the next Tory leader, paid tribute to Mrs May’s “dutiful and patriotic” nature, but said she should have gone earlier.

“I do not want to be mean,” said the European Research Group chairman who led a failed attempt to pass a no-confidence vote in December. “I wouldn’t have put my name to a vote of no confidence in December if I thought she should not have gone in December.”

Theresa May - In pictures

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Mrs May’s friends rallied to praise the character of a woman who won admiration for her sense of duty and resilience.

Damian Green, her former de facto deputy, told the BBC: “Seldom have we seen a prime minister more devoted to public service and it’s ending this way so I think the overwhelming feeling I have today is sadness.”

MPs jockeying to be Mrs May’s successor universally praised her “dignity” in defeat.

The leadership election was in full flow even as Mrs May was still meeting Sir Graham.

Helen Grant, Conservative vice-chairman for communities, resigned so she would be free to campaign for one of the candidates.

Tory sources said the leadership battle will formally start in the week of June 10, when nominations close, and finish by July 24, when the summer recess begins.

Over the first fortnight, Conservative MPs will stage a series of votes to reduce the field to a shortlist of two. A ballot of members will then pick the winner.

The final pair will take part in up to 12 regional hustings and, probably, a TV debate.

The front of today's print edition of the Evening Standard

The Tories may allow non-members to quiz leadership candidates for the first time, although they will not get a vote.

Party chairman Brandon Lewis said it was “a solemn responsibility” to select a PM who would represent the nation.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Mrs May’s replacement should call an immediate general election.

Additional reporting by James Morris and Olivia Tobin

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