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Theresa May says she will quit as Tory leader on 7 June – live news
Theresa May resignation: Tories to choose new prime minister by July – live news
(about 4 hours later)
Jeremy Corbyn has said Theresa May was right to resign and has called for an immediate general election.
Here’s a video taking a look at May’s premiership, from the Windrush scandal to dancing to Abba.
The Prime Minister is right to have resigned. She has now accepted what the country has known for months: she cannot govern, and nor can her divided and disintegrating party.
In light of Johnson’s insistence that the UK will leave the EU at Halloween “deal or no deal”, here is some interesting analysis from Maddy Thimont Jack of the Institute for Government. She argues that MPs would struggle to stop a prime minister intent on pushing ahead with a no-deal exit from the EU.
The burning injustices she promised to tackle three years ago are even starker today.
It looks like a near impossible task for MPs to stop a prime minister who is determined to leave the EU without a deal. Parliamentary procedure offers no route, and the only apparent way to blocking no deal – a vote of no confidence – would be a massive gamble for Tory MPs.
The Conservative Party has utterly failed the country over Brexit and is unable to improve people’s lives or deal with their most pressing needs.
But a prime minister who wants to leave the EU without a deal would face considerable pressure, both within Parliament and beyond, to change path, and he or she would have to explain how they would govern in the weeks and months after a no deal exit.
Parliament is deadlocked and the Conservatives offer no solutions to the other major challenges facing our country.
So while the legislative routes may no longer be open, political pressure matters – as any previous occupant of Number 10 would no doubt testify.
The last thing the country needs is weeks of more Conservative infighting followed by yet another unelected Prime Minister.
Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of Tory MPs, has confirmed to the Press Association that he is considering running to be leader. (See my earlier post.)
Whoever becomes the new Conservative Leader must let the people decide our country’s future, through an immediate General Election.
I have been approached by a number of colleagues across the party both inside and outside Parliament asking me to put myself forward as a candidate.
Business leaders have expressed fears that the Tory leadership is going to prolong the uncertainty and deter investments decision.
Therefore I have taken the decision to stand down from the position of chairman of the 1922 Committee in order to ensure a fair and transparent election process.
“Westminster has already squandered far too much time going around in circles on Brexit,” said Adam Marshall, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce.
I am considering the approaches I have received and will make a further statement in due course. I informed Number 10 and the chairman of the Conservative Party of this this morning.
He warned that “drift and lack of direction” had real consequences that were not headline-grabbing closures of big business but by “the quiet and growing loss of contracts, investments and jobs”
Jeremy Corbyn has been talking to Reuters. He says another Conservative leader is not going to solve the UK’s problems and repeats calls for a general election.
“The UK is already paying the price for a political system at war over Brexit. Our hard-earned reputation as a great place to do business has been tarnished. And for too long, government has been distracted from working with business to fix the fundamentals here at home, particularly around skills and infrastructure.
Boris Johnson, the odds-on favourite to replace May as prime minister (Paddy Power currently has him on 5/6), has been speaking at an economics conference in Switzerland. Reuters reports that he paid tribute to May, describing her as “patient and stoical”
“Any leadership contest must be swift and followed urgently by a clear plan to break the impasse. The clock is still ticking down to 31st October, regardless of who is in Downing Street. A new Prime Minister must work to avert a messy and disorderly exit from the EU. At the same time, preparations must continue to ensure that government, its agencies and our communities are as ready as they can be for all possible eventualities.”
“A new leader will have the opportunity to do things differently and have the momentum of a new administration,” he said. “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.”
Tributes from May’s cabinet colleagues –
Boris Johnson has set out his Brexit stance. V significant:“A new leader will have the opportunity to do things differently and have the momentum of a new administration. 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"
Incredibly moving and dignified speech from the Prime Minister. She has given all in service of her country. Thank you Theresa.
TL/DR: Prime Minister Johnson would go back to Brussels to renegotiate the deal (and remove the controversial Irish border backstop). And if he fails, full steam ahead for no-deal in October.
I want to pay tribute to the PM today. Delivering Brexit was always going to be a huge task, but one she met every day with courage & resolve. NHS will have an extra £20bn thanks to her support, and she leaves the country safer and more secure. A true public servant.
Here’s more on those reports that Graham Brady is preparing to stand for the Tory leadership. He has confirmed to the BBC’s political editor that he is standing down as chair of the 1922 Committee. (See my earlier post.)
The Prime Minister has shown great courage.She is a public servant who did all she could to bring Brexit to a resolution. Her sense of duty is something everyone should admire and aspire to.
Sir Graham Brady confirms he's considering standing to be PM so has stood down as chair of the 1922 backbench committee
Tributes are pouring in for May. These from the Tory leadership front-runners.
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has issued a damning statement criticising May’s decision to list her government’s reaction to the Grenfell fire tragedy as among her achievements.
A very dignified statement from @theresa_may. Thank you for your stoical service to our country and the Conservative Party. It is now time to follow her urgings: to come together and deliver Brexit.
In her resignation speech this morning she said that “the unique privilege” of being prime minister was to be able “to give a voice to the voiceless, to fight the burning injustices that still scar our society”.
Dignified as ever, @theresa_may showed her integrity. She remains a dedicated public servant, patriot and loyal Conservative. https://t.co/2YjBp0x8HM
“And that is why I set up the independent public inquiry into the tragedy at Grenfell Tower – to search for the truth, so nothing like it can ever happen again, and so the people who lost their lives that night are never forgotten,” she said.
The Scottish Conservative leader, Ruth Davidson, has called on Tory leadership candidates to “show that same level of commitment to Scotland’s place in the union” that Theresa May has done, as she praised the outgoing prime minister’s “quiet dignity and resilience”.
statement from the Fire Brigades Union on Theresa May and Grenfell. No further comment necessary. pic.twitter.com/3a4yEAaqMJ
Davidson said: “The prime minister has always put country before party and, by announcing her resignation and setting out a plan for an orderly departure, she has shown that commitment again today.
Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said:
“Theresa May knew when she took on the job of prime minister that the challenges facing our country were unprecedented.
Many of the underlying issues at Grenfell were due to unsafe conditions that had been allowed to fester under Tory governments and a council for which Theresa May bears ultimate responsibility. The inquiry she launched has kicked scrutiny of corporate and government interests into the long-grass, denying families and survivors justice, while allowing business as usual to continue for the wealthy. For the outgoing prime minister to suggest that her awful response to Grenfell is a proud part of her legacy is, frankly, disgraceful.
“Her time in office has been characterised by the hard work, resilience, quiet dignity and attention to detail for which she is known.
It looks like foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt has confirmed he is running to replace Theresa May – the first cabinet minister to do so. His local paper, the Farnham Herald, reports that he made the announcement at the Haslemere Festival in his constituency of South West Surrey.
“Above all, by opposing the SNP’s call for an immediate second independence referendum in 2017, the prime minister demonstrated her resolute commitment to the union, and to Scotland’s place in it.
The body is barely cold, but Jeremy Hunt looks like he has announced he's running. https://t.co/KjZp7gtKBS
“As Britain’s second female prime minister, she has been a role model for girls and women across the United Kingdom, showing that there is no glass ceiling to their ambitions.
In a video posted on the publication’s website, Hunt says: “I’ll make an announcement on my candidacy at the appropriate time”...
“On behalf of everyone in the Scottish Conservative and Unionist party I would like to thank her for her years of service as an MP, party chairman, secretary of state, and prime minister.
Speaking in Dublin after voting in the European and local elections in Ireland, the taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, said the new phase of the Brexit process could be “a very dangerous one for Ireland”.
“The party will now elect a new leader over the coming weeks.
Obviously, as anyone can see, British politics is consumed by Brexit and will be consumed by Brexit for a very long time. It now means we enter a new phase when it comes to Brexit and a phase that may be a very dangerous one for Ireland.
“As leader of the Scottish Conservatives, I want to see candidates show that same level of commitment to Scotland’s place in the union, an ability to advance our interests at home and abroad and, crucially, demonstrate how they intend to bring our country back together after the divisions sown by two constitutional referenda.”
In the next couple of months we may see the election of a Eurosceptic prime minister who wants to repudiate the withdrawal agreement and go for a no deal, or we may even see a new British government that wants a close relationship with the EU and goes for a second referendum.
Leo Varadkar, Ireland’s taoiseach, has paid tribute to May, describing her as “principled and honourable”.
Whatever happens we are going to hold our nerve, we are going to continue to build and strengthen and deepen our alliance across the European Union, and we will make sure we see Ireland through this.
I got to know Theresa May very well over the last two years. She is principled, honourable, and deeply passionate about doing her best for her country, and her party. Politicians throughout the EU have admired her tenacity, her courage, and her determination during what has been a difficult and challenging time.
He also paid tribute to May:
Theresa May strove to chart a new future for the United Kingdom. I want to wish her the very best for the future. And I look forward to working closely with her successor.
We worked very closely on issues over the past one and a half years on Brexit and the North. I particularly want to pay tribute to her to agreeing to retain and strengthen the Common Travel Area.
Here is Theresa May’s full resignation statement.
As a result of the agreement we made, British and Irish citizens are able to live, work, study, travel and access healthcare, housing, education and welfare and pensions in each other’s countries as though we are citizens of both.
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. And to honour the result of the EU referendum.Back in 2016, we gave the British people a choice. Against all predictions, the British people voted to leave the European Union.
That is going to be there and protected no matter what else may happen as a consequence of Brexit and part of that was done because of her work with us, and I want to pay tribute to her and her team for that.
I feel as certain today as I did three years ago that in a democracy, if you give people a choice you have a duty to implement what they decide.I have done my best to do that. 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 back that deal. Sadly, I have not been able to do so.
Guardian journalists have put together this on the reaction by EU leaders to today’s announcement that the British prime minister is to resign.
I tried three times. I believe it was right to persevere, even when the odds against success seemed high. But it is now clear to me that it is in the best interests of the country for a new Prime Minister to lead that effort.
EU leaders stick to Brexit guns as they prepare for 'different breed' of PM
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.
EU leaders are to hold emergency talks next week as they prepare for a “different breed” of Brexiter to replace May, as concerns grow the risk of a no-deal withdrawal has increased.
It is, and will always remain, a matter of deep regret to me 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. Such a consensus can only be reached if those on all sides of the debate are willing to compromise.
In a statement, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, said:
For many years the great humanitarian Sir Nicholas Winton – who saved the lives of hundreds of children by arranging their evacuation from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia through the Kindertransport – was my constituent in Maidenhead. 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. He said, ‘Never forget that compromise is not a dirty word. Life depends on compromise.’ He was right.
It is too early to speculate on the consequences of this decision. The principles of the European Union will continue to apply, including the priority to preserve the smooth functioning of the EU, which requires a quick clarification.
As we strive to find the compromises we need in our politics – whether to deliver Brexit, or to restore devolved government in Northern Ireland – we must remember what brought us here. Because 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.
A spokesman for Angela Merkel, said the German chancellor, had noted May’s planned departure with respect and that the repercussions would depend on developments in British domestic politics.
We have completed the work that David Cameron and George Osborne started: the deficit is almost eliminated, our national debt is falling and we are bringing an end to austerity. My focus has been on ensuring that the good jobs of the future will be created in communities across the whole country, not just in London and the South East, through our Modern Industrial Strategy.
Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, said: “The agreement reached between the EU and the United Kingdom for an ordered Brexit remains on the table.”
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. This is what a decent, moderate and patriotic Conservative Government, on the common ground of British politics, can achieve - even as we tackle the biggest peacetime challenge any government has faced.
A spokeswoman for Jean-Claude Juncker said the European commission president had followed May’s tearful statement “without personal joy”, and described her as a “very courageous woman”.
I know that the Conservative Party can renew itself in the years ahead. That we can deliver Brexit and serve the British people with policies inspired by our values. Security; freedom; opportunity. Those values have guided me throughout my career.
It’s finally happened. Theresa May has announced her departure from 10 Downing Street. In a speech this morning following a meeting with Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers, the prime minister said she would stand aside on Friday 7 June, with the process to select a new Conservative party leader starting the following week. Fighting back tears, she said:
But the unique privilege of this office is to use this platform to give a voice to the voiceless, to fight the burning injustices that still scar our society. That is why I put proper funding for mental health at the heart of our NHS long-term plan. It is why I am ending the postcode lottery for survivors of domestic abuse. It is why the Race Disparity Audit and gender pay reporting are shining a light on inequality, so it has nowhere to hide. And that is why I set up the independent public inquiry into the tragedy at Grenfell Tower – to search for the truth, so nothing like it can ever happen again, and so the people who lost their lives that night are never forgotten.
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.
Because this country is a Union.Not just a family of four nations. But a union of people – all of us. Whatever our background, the colour of our skin, or who we love. We stand together. And together we have a great future.
The Conservative party chairman, Brandon Lewis, confirmed that nominations to replace May would close in the week beginning 10 June. Then successive rounds of voting by Tory MPs will take place to decide which candidates will be put a vote of the party’s members. That process should be completed by the end of June, leaving time for hustings with the finalists – to which non-party members will be invited. The final votes will be cast and the result announced by the time parliament rises for the summer in mid-July.
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 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.
Jeremy Corbyn has issued a statement calling for a general election. “Whoever becomes the new Conservative leader must let the people decide our country’s future, through an immediate general election,” he said. The Lib Dem leader, Vince Cable, and Green party’s Westminster leader Caroline Lucas both repeated calls for a second Brexit referendum. “Conservative party interest has always trumped national interest, and yet Conservative MPs continue to demand an ever more extreme Brexit policy,” said Cable. “The best and only option remains to take Brexit back to the people. I believe the public would now choose to stop Brexit.”
Nicola Sturgeon has reacted to May’s resignation. She says May deserves thanks for her service and calls for a general election.
And for some cheery lunchtime reading, Marina Hyde looks forward to the “summer of Tory fratricide and country-shafting” that lies in store.
1. I wish Theresa May well. She and I had profound disagreements - not least on her handling of Brexit and her disregard for Scotland’s interests. However, leadership is tough - especially in these times - and she deserves thanks for her service.
Exit Theresa May. Stand by for a summer of Tory fratricide and country-shafting | Marina Hyde
I wish Theresa May well. She and I had profound disagreements – not least on her handling of Brexit and her disregard for Scotland’s interests. However, leadership is tough – especially in these times – and she deserves thanks for her service.
Some reaction from Wales.
Her departure will not solve the Brexit mess that the Tories have created. Only putting the matter back to the people can do that. Given current circumstances, it also feels deeply wrong for another Tory to be installed in Number 10 without a General Election.
Mark Drakeford, the Welsh first minister, has issued this statement:
The prospect of an even more hardline Brexiteer now becoming PM and threatening a no deal exit is deeply concerning. Added to the experience of the past three years, this makes it all the more important that Scotland is given the choice of becoming an independent country.
I have never doubted the prime minister’s sense of public service or her commitment to do her job, and I wish her well for the future. It is however, her red lines that have brought her to the end of the road and left us in a mess of her making.
Here are some key passages from May’s resignation speech –
A Conservative leadership contest is the last thing the country needs as we negotiate one of the biggest challenges and uncertainties our country has faced in decades. The prospect of achieving an orderly Brexit – one that protects our economy and people’s jobs – by the 31 October now seems even less likely. A change of leader will change nothing, we desperately need a change of approach to Brexit based on compromise and a will to heal the growing divisions in our country.
Back in 2016, we gave the British people a choice, against all predictions the British people voted to leave the european union. I feel as certain today as I did three years ago that in a democracy if you give people a choice you have a duty to implement what they decide. I have done my best to do that... I have done everything I can to convince MPs to back that deal. Sadly I have not been able to do so. I tried three times. I believe it was right to persevere even when the odds against success seemed high. but is is now clear t me that it is n the best interests of the country for a new prime minister to lead that effort.
The Plaid Cymru leader, Adam Price, said:
It is and will always remain a matter of deep regret for me 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 did not. Such a consensus will only be reached if those on both sides of the debate are willing to compromise.
On the steps of Downing Street Theresa May spoke of compromise, but she simply wasn’t willing to do so herself. Sticking rigidly by her red lines, Mrs May ignored the interests of Wales and millions across the UK who felt alienated by her approach to Brexit, as summed up in her ‘No Deal is better than a bad deal’ catchphrase.
She quoted Sir Nicholas Winton, the British humanitarian who organised the Czech Kindertransport: “Never forget that compromise is not a dirty word. Life depends on compromise.”
This may be the end of the prime minister, but the beginning of a new Brexit battle. Over the coming weeks we will see an anti-EU arms race amongst the Brexiteer wing of the Tory party. We cannot let the fantasy politics which led us to this chaos define our future path.
I know that the Conservative party can renew itself in the years ahead. That we can deliver Brexit and serve the British people with policies inspired by our vales.
‘Do not waste this time’, said Donald Tusk when that final extension was granted. I fear this British government has already failed to listen to such good advice. By putting it back to the people, in a final say referendum, Brexit could have been resolved months ago.
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 will shortly leave the job that it has been the honour of my life. 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.
And there you have it. May will resign as leader of the Conservative party on 7 June and the process to select a new leader will start the following week. So, she will be the prime minister that welcomes Donald Trump on 3 June. I’ll post some key quotes from her speech shortly.
“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.”
May says it has been “the honour of my life” to be the “second female prime minister, but certainly not the last”.
Her voice cracks as she says it has been an honour to have the opportunity to serve the country she loves.
She says she knows the Conservative party will serve people in the years ahead. She says the importance of the office of prime minister is to fight “burning injustice”, the phrase she used at the beginning of her premiership.
