Theresa May announces resignation

Reuters

May’s departure deepens the Brexit crisis as a new leader, who should be in place by the end of July, is likely to want a more decisive split, raising the chances of a confrontation with the EU and potentially a snap parliamentary election.

Her voice cracking with emotion, May, who endured crises and humiliation in her failed effort to find a compromise Brexit deal that parliament could ratify, said she would resign on Friday, June 7 with a leadership contest beginning the following week.

“I will shortly leave the job that has been the honour of my life to hold,” May said outside her Downing Street official residence with her husband, Philip, looking on. “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,” said the usually reserved May as she fought back tears.

May, once a reluctant supporter of EU membership who won the top job in the turmoil that followed the 2016 Brexit referendum, steps down with her central pledge - to lead the United Kingdom out of the bloc and heal its divisions - unfulfilled.

“It is, and will always remain, a matter of deep regret to me that I have not been able to deliver Brexit,” May said, adding that her successor would have to find a consensus to honour the 2016 referendum result.

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, said the new prime minister must hold an election to “let the people decide our country’s future”.

PM BORIS JOHNSON?

May bequeaths a deeply divided country and a political elite that is deadlocked over how, when or whether to leave the EU. The latest deadline for Britain’s departure is Oct. 31.

Most of the leading contenders to succeed May want a tougher divorce deal, although the EU has said it will not renegotiate the Withdrawal Agreement it sealed with Britain in November.

Spain said it now seemed almost impossible to avoid a so-called hard Brexit, or clean break from the EU, and the bloc signalled there would be no change on the agreement despite European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker learning of May’s resignation “without personal joy”.

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney underlined the bloc’s stance that there would be no better Brexit deal.

“This idea that a new prime minister will be a tougher negotiator and will put it up to the EU and get a much better deal for Britain? That’s not how the EU works,” Coveney told Ireland’s Newstalk radio station.

Sterling swung back and forth on May’s resignation, trading slightly higher on the day, and British government bond yields edged off near-two-year lows struck first thing on Friday. Boris Johnson, the face of the official Brexit campaign in 2016, is the favourite to succeed May and he thanked her for her “stoical service”. Betting markets put a 40% implied probability on Johnson winning the top job.

Others tipped are Dominic Raab, a Brexit supporter and former Brexit secretary, with a 14% implied probability on his chances. Environment Secretary Michael Gove, former House of Commons leader Andrea Leadsom and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt each have a 7% probability, according to betting markets.

Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt and International Development Secretary Rory Stewart each have a 4% chance of the top job while Home Secretary Sajid Javid has a 3% chance.

For many Conservative lawmakers, speed is of the essence to install a new leader to try to break the Brexit impasse.

The governing party said it would move quickly to try to end the leadership contest before parliament breaks for a summer holiday, a so-called recess which usually falls in late July.

“The fight for the heart and soul of the Conservative Party officially starts now,” said Andrew Bridgen, a pro-Brexit lawmaker. “We need a new PM as soon as possible and who that is will decide the future of our democracy, our country and the Conservative Party.”

Well, don't let the door hit you on the way out, Theresa. Now if we can do something about OUR mess in Washington.

That said, I fear for the next leader.

Europe is lost. It's too bad Brexit didn't happen. Enjoy that assimilation ;)

No deal more likely, watch Farage win again come Monday when EU election results have been counted.

In my opinion and I apologise to those who disagree (just my opinion and I am allowed one) the British who voted to leave are simply in denial.

Britain is not and has not been the great power it once was for decades.

What has Britain got to offer the world? It’s manufacturing heydays are long gone, the crude oil in the North Sea has largely been depleted, its financial services are disintegrating and can be found elsewhere (New York, Singapore, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenzhen).

The country lacks expertise, it cannot build its own telecommunications network, it cannot build its own nuclear power stations, it cannot build modern trains (trains are truly awful and ridiculously expensive).

Once it leaves and if it leave on terms that allow it to negotiate its own trade deals it will realise this.

Can anyone really believe Boris Johnson can make Britain Great Again?

@n64dd: I dont mind it when you talk crap about video games, but when you're talking crap about something you dont have a clue about.....or did you think Brexit is still not happening, or that Brexit actually changes the amount of immigrants that we are made to allow entry?

If you can't handle this side of boards, go back to trolling in the system wars.

Theresa May is the only person in this whole mess I have any sympathy for. She took on an impossible task, and from the very beginning was given hell from all sides.

Good luck to the next PM. Luck may be the only chance you have.

@n64dd: Its ignorance I cant handle. Brexit is still happening, and that wont change the amount of immigration to this country. We had the power to refuse entry to non-EU citizens already.

How is Europe lost? What assimilation?

Be specific.

@zaryia: he won't. He is shit posting.

Enough with the dithering, no-deal Brexit, get it done.

And the UK is screwed...

-Economy dies

-Northern Ireland reunites with the Republic

-Scotland declares independence

The People voted for what the People voted for.

@Master_Live: Correction: England's people voted what they voted for. Not the case with the Scots and Northern Irish, who voted Remain. Now independence parties in both countries are pushing to make sure they don't burn with England.

So be it.

This has gone long enough, the UK is a joke. The People need to learn that voting is a serious endeavor. If you voted for Brexit and didn't know what it entailed, too bad for you. If you wanted to Remain and didn't voted because you thought it was a forgone conclusion that Remain would win, too bad for you.

The People voted, respect the vote.

@Master_Live: "Respect the vote" Tell that to the Brexiters wanting to ruin it for Belfast and Glasgow, because when Shinners and ScotNats get their way in independence votes, they will not be true to their word.

@Master_Live: A minority of the people voted to leave the EU. Nobody voted specifically for a no deal Brexit....which is why the number one search term was "What does Brexit mean?" one day after the vote.

Now she can piss off to some wheat field and be naughty.

Don't see no deal happening unless Johnson becomes PM and wins a general election.

What do you mean by that statement specifically?

Finally something we agree on.

And someone clearly does not follow politics or what the situation is in the UK.

- The economy is actually doing pretty fine, UK GDP growth is 1.8% to compare Germany is 2.2% and America´s is 2.3% so while the EU Brexit has some effect it´s not that bad and there is still growth.

- Northern Ireland will never join "the republic" The protestants are still in majority and there has not been any serious talk about even considering a referendum about it in the last 10 years. And the latest poll actually shows no leading by 13points compared to before Brexit.

- As to Scotland, considering the SNP got a horrible election and they went from a massive majority to losing over 20 seats compared to before Brexit, a new referendum is not even close and considering the last and that another one which is possible but unlikely won´t happen until long after UK has finally left the sinking ship that is the EU. the chances of the leave will get a majority is pretty slim.

So the UK is not screwed, in fact, I am almost certain that in 5 years the UK will be stronger than before when they were in the EU because they are now in control of their own Faith and do not have to rely on the Germans or the French

Anyways as to May, well who did not see that coming and with mini Trump BJ being the top candidate and also a part of the actual leave campaign it may not be the worst idea ever.

@Master_Live: 17m out of 66m people expressed a desire to leave. The result should stand, and we should now leave....but that vote was won on the back of bare faced lies and hysteria.

I guess this means postponing any vacation plans to England for the foreseeable future.

I don't get how you can have a national vote

Not like the results and push to do a second vote

Just sit in limbo and do nothing, why even vote on it if your not going to do it either way.

So if the second vote was to say remain, wouldn't you need to do a third vote? Do you just keep going for years in limbo.

The whole situation reminds me of that scene in bill and teds bogus adventure, where they have to beat death in a game to get back to earth, and death looses every game and just asks for a rematch cuz he's petty asf

Maybe it will actually happen now that she's gone, maybe

I had a great laugh reading this nonsense from someone that "follows politics".

Northern Ireland is a ticking time bomb for the UK and even the UK government has given up on the idea of it remaining as part of the UK. The latest proper poll done shows Remain in the UK at 45% and reunite with the rest of Ireland at 42.1% and undecided at 12.7%. And because of the population change in Northern Ireland, unionist parties have been losing numbers each and every election like clockwork., and in 2017 for the first time since the creation of Northern Ireland a unionist party no longer had the numbers to have direct control over Stormont. Also, in 2021 protestants will no longer have a majority, not that religion is even that big a deal in Ireland any more. Good video on the subject.

The UKs GDP is also misleading as its boosted by UK companies having to stockpile goods to avoid a massive increase in price and a disruption to supply.

In Scotland, almost every second person you meet on the street voted for independence in 2014 (45% voted out). And you don't think England forcing Scotland out of the EU against its will isn't going to increase that? The largest party in Scotland each and every election is an independence party, and not by a small margin either . That seems like a stable union to me lmao

Ya the UK is going to be booming in 5 years alright .....

Sometimes it feels good to see other countries are just as messed up...….

To me the UK is descending into Turkey territory. Any country that does not have a freedom of expression for example should not be allowed in, in the first place. If they want in or to stay in, they must enforce freedom of expression and demonstration etc. IMO the UK government must abolish their hate speech laws and extremely restrictive demonstration laws and stop arresting people for wrongthink to stay in.

BTW there are ongoing EU elections at the moment. Maybe we'll see some of the problems the UK has with the EU solved in time. There are parties that are looking to downsize the salary and benefits of the EP's. And want to dissolve or re-purpose the EC so that the undemocratic side of the EU holds less power. Almost all the parties are aiming for way more transparency especially when it comes to laws being proposed. Some focus on human rights being enforced in the EU which can be a good or bad thing. Some are on board to attack tax paradises. One of my local parties even wants to thoroughly attack lobbying in the EU. I personally voted for that one.

BTWBTW May was in an impossible position. She was supposed to make a good deal for the UK, when the UK was in not in a position to make a good deal and the EU was halfway willing to make an example out of this. Nobody would have succeeded in her position.