After defying political gravity for three years, Theresa May brought her tortured tenure as prime minister to a close on Friday.
“I will shortly leave the job that it has been the honor of my life to hold,” she said outside Downing Street, her voice quivering in the morning sunshine. And with that, she’s off – or at least she will be later in the summer, once a new Conservative leader is elected.
Her statement sets up a few more hectic weeks of political drama in Westminster. For now, though, we’re following May’s lead and getting out of here.
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Theresa May has been criticized for referring in her resignation speech to the Grenfell Tower fire, a disaster that will be remembered as a low point in her tenure.
While listing her domestic achievements in the statement on Friday, May said: “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.”
She added that she used her premiership “to fight the burning injustices that still scar our society.”
72 people died when the tower block in west London caught fire in July 2017, and May was heavily criticized for Conservative policies before the disaster and her slow response in the aftermath.
That criticism intensified after her resignation speech. “Many of the underlying issues at Grenfell were due to unsafe conditions that had been allowed to fester under Tory governments,” Matt Wrack, the general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, said in a statement.
“For the outgoing Prime Minister to suggest that her awful response to Grenfell is a proud part of her legacy is, frankly, disgraceful,” he added.
Emma Dent Coad, the Labour MP of the London borough in which Grenfell Tower is located, added: “From the first day of her awkward visit to Grenfell, to her last day congratulating herself for failures, Theresa May should be ashamed of her actions and lack of leadership.”
May wasn’t particularly noted for going off-script, but her interviews and speeches provided a number of memorable quotes. Here’s a collection of her greatest hits.
“Brexit means Brexit”: Sometimes but not always followed with the pay-off “And we’re going to make a success of it,” May gave the public a first glimpse of her tendency to repeat pre-prepared soundbites with this classic number, which is simultaneously crystal clear and entirely meaningless.
“No deal is better than a bad deal”: May set out her hardline credentials ahead of her negotiations with the EU, repeating over and over again that she was willing to walk away from discussions with no deal.
“Red, white and blue Brexit”: It’s easy to forget, but the early days of the Brexit process were dominated by politicians discussing the various different colors, textures and shapes that Brexit could take. There was a hard Brexit and a soft Brexit, a black Brexit and a white Brexit, and May’s offer: “I want a red, white and blue Brexit,” she told reporters in late 2016.
“Citizens of nowhere”: May infuriated Remainers in her 2016 speech at the Conservative Party conference, telling a packed hall: “If you believe you’re a citizen of the world, you’re a citizen of nowhere. You don’t understand what the very word ‘citizenship’ means.”
“Strong and stable”: The mind-numbing slogan of her 2017 general election campaign, May’s favorite soundbite became synonymous with her robotic style once she started to slide in the polls. She quickly discarded her promise of “strong and stable leadership in the national interest,” but not before it had received the social media treatment.
“Fields of wheat”: While campaigning during that election, May was asked an admittedly tricky question by an ITV reporter: “What’s the naughtiest thing you’ve ever done?”. “Oh goodness me,” she replied, a look of genuine terror falling across her face. “Well I suppose… gosh,” she offered, before finally settling on her answer. “I have to confess when me and my friends used to run through the fields of wheat, the farmers weren’t too pleased about that.” The comment, which didn’t exactly scream “woman of the people,” was widely mocked and partially defined her disastrous campaign.
It began with promise and ended in tears: An emotional Theresa May finally announced the end of her short but tumultuous tenure as the UK’s prime minister on Friday, her voice quivering as she spoke.
May’s three-year term saw a disastrous general election, two no confidence motions, a series of torturous negotiations with the EU and a handful of geopolitical crises.
But while her failure to deliver Brexit is certain to define her legacy, she’ll be remembered for far more besides.
The honeymoon: May was swept into power after a condensed leadership contest, profiting from David Cameron’s resignation in the wake of the Brexit vote. Riding high in opinion polls throughout a lengthy honeymoon period, May promised to secure a positive Brexit deal from the European Union – but threatened to walk away from discussions if she couldn’t get one.
Cozying up to Trump: A few months into her tenure, May became the first major world leader to visit the new US President in January 2017. But her visit was dominated in the British media by an unfortunate photograph of her walking hand-in-hand with the President, who is unpopular in the UK.
Humiliation at the polls: The turning point of May’s premiership was a catastrophic snap general election in June 2017. Hoping to capitalize on her lead in opinion polls, May’s gamble wiped away her parliamentary majority and irreparably damaged her authority.
A woeful campaign, which saw a U-turn over a so-called dementia tax, a damaging refusal to take part in TV debates, and a series of uninspiring slogans including the quickly meme-ified “strong and stable,” allowed Jeremy Corbyn to upset the odds and force May into a minority government propped up by the DUP. She shed “a little tear” on election night, she later told the BBC.
Response to Grenfell: Days after May’s embarrassment at the ballot box, people around the country watched in horror as Grenfell Tower in west London was engulfed in flames. To many, the disaster in one of Britain’s richest boroughs highlighted economic inequalities that had been central to the campaign – and when May was severely criticized for not meeting with survivors in the wake of the fire, it seemed her new term could be over within days.
Two contrasting conference speeches: May survived the ensuing months, but her position remained fragile when she took to the stage at the Conservative Party conference in 2017. That speech was billed as the biggest of her career – but a crippling cough, a protester handing her a P45 form, and a set that fell apart behind her back combined to turn the event into a comedy of errors.
A year later, in late 2018, May returned to the stage with a flourish. Making light of her widely-mocked dance moves, she strutted out to Abba’s classic “Dancing Queen” before delivering a strong speech. May rarely seemed to be having the time of her life as prime minister, but her musical entrance won a few doubters over.
Salisbury poisoning: The prime minister won plaudits for her response to the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in 2018. While opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn wavered over blaming Russia, May coordinated an unequivocal response that had the backing of international partners including the US.
…and, of course, Brexit: Ultimately, however, May’s premiership will be associated with Brexit. Her unpopular pact with the EU, unveiled at a fiery cabinet away day at her Chequers country home, signaled the beginning of the end of her tenure, prompting a rash of resignations from her front bench and leading to three historically crushing defeats in Parliament.
On Friday, the Dancing Queen confirmed the inevitable – and accepted she had met her Waterloo.
Boris Johnson, the frontrunner to replace May as prime minister, has told an economic conference in Switzerland that Britain should be prepared to leave the EU with no deal.
“We will leave the EU on October 31, deal or no deal,” he said, according to Reuters.
“The way to get a good deal is to prepare for a no deal,” Johnson added. Economists have warned of the financial impact of a no-deal split, but most of the Conservative leadership prospects have supported such a scenario.
Graham Brady, the head of the influential 1922 Committee of backbenchers, has left his post – and is considering a run for party leader.
It was Brady who met with May on Friday morning, giving her an opportunity to resign before his mutinous group changed its rules to force her out.
“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,” he said, according to Britain’s Press Association.
“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.
“I am considering the approaches I have received and will make a furtherstatement in due course. I informed Number 10 and the chairman of the Conservative Party of this this morning,” he said.
British Prime Minister Theresa May’s resignation is unlikely to end a tough run for the pound, which has fallen steadily this month as the risk of a damaging no-deal Brexit rises.
The pound edged higher to almost $1.27 on Friday following May’s announcement that she’ll step down in June after failing in her bid to secure Britain’s exit from the European Union.
But sterling has dropped 2.9% this month against the US dollar and is the worst performer of the world’s 10 major currencies. It’s also been on a losing streak against the euro, and there’s little sign of the pressure easing up any time soon.
That’s because whoever succeeds May as prime minister will face the same Brexit nightmare. The European Union has said it’s done discussing the terms of Britain’s departure. And the current deal, negotiated by May, faces seemingly insurmountable opposition in Britain’s parliament.
“To borrow a phrase, nothing has changed, or at least, very little has,” Edwin Morgan, the head of the Institute of Directors, a business lobby group, said in a statement. “A new leader will be faced with the same political challenges and the same economic realities.”
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has given an interview reacting to Theresa May’s resignation.
He rejected the suggestion that Labour had shot itself in the foot by rejecting her Brexit deal, potentially paving the way for a new leader who would embrace a harder Brexit.
“She wasn’t really offering concessions,” he said, adding that “a new Conservative leader isn’t really going to solve the problem” and calling for a snap general election.
The next leader will the the third Conservative prime minister to serve during Corbyn’s stint as leader of the opposition.
After months of speculation, attempts to oust her and parliamentary defeats, the fate of Theresa May is finally sealed. But although there is clarity about her political career – now she has announced she will resign on June 7 and set the timetable to elect a new Prime Minister – the future of the Conservative Party, the government and the UK is far from clear.
All of this hinges now on who will be elected as May’s successor and that person’s position on Brexit.
That contest will formally start after May resigns on June 7, although the race has already unofficially begun. Until then, May has two weeks to perform her duties as Prime Minister, including a major state visit by US President Donald Trump and his family in the first week of June, which will take in a State Banquet with the Queen, as well as D-Day commemorations.
Even though May’s legacy, as the PM who failed to deliver Brexit, is already fixed, these final days will allow her to finesse that departure with some dignity.
In contrast to those ceremonial matters of state, a far dirtier, messier business is underway in Westminster: Conservative lawmakers fighting each other to be the next PM. Having been at each other’s throats over Brexit, a leadership contest will likely deepen those divisions. The task for the new leader is to bring the party together again.
Theresa May is the second consecutive prime minister to be toppled by Brexit. Her predecessor David Cameron, who quit hours after the results of the 2016 referendum were confirmed, has offered his sympathies, calling May’s speech “strong and brave.”
“I know how painful it is to accept that your time is up and a new leader is required,” he said, adding his hopes that her “spirit of compromise” is continued by the next PM.
Theresa May will officially step down as leader of the Conservative Party on June 7, but she’ll remain Prime Minister until a new leader is elected. The party intends to replace May before Parliament rises for the summer on July 20, it said in a statement.
The process will have two stages – first, Tory MPs will decide on a shortlist of candidates to put contest the election. Nominations for that shortlist will close during the week starting June 10, the Conservative Party said in a statement.
There will be successive rounds of voting by MPs until the list is whittled down to a final choice of candidates. Then, those candidates will take part in a series of debates around the country.
“We are deeply conscious that the Conservatives are not just selecting the person best placed to become the new leader of our party, but also the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom,” the statement said. “That is a solemn responsibility, particularly at such an important time for our nation.”
“We will therefore propose that the leadership election and hustings involve opportunities for non-members and people who may not yet vote Conservative to meet the candidates and put their questions to them too.”
The final choice will come down to the party’s tens of thousands of members.
Hardline Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg, a longstanding critic of Theresa May’s, has responded to her resignation.
On his 50th birthday, the announcement will likely be the icing on his cake.
“‘Nothing in office became her like the leaving it’ An unquestionably dutiful person left with dignity and the Conservatives must now get on and deliver Brexit,” he wrote.
That’s a reference to a line spoken by Malcolm in Act I, Scene IV of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The full quote is:
Through three years of infighting, maneuvering and bitter divisions, May’s tenure in 10 Downing Street has frequently resembled a Shakespearean tragedy. The impending leadership contest is likely to bring more drama.
Europe has destroyed another British Prime Minister.
Three years after voters in the UK mandated their government to take Britain out of the European Union, Theresa May’s failure to do so has finally caught up with her.
“I have done my best,” she said in an emotional statement outside 10 Downing Street. But as she admitted, it wasn’t enough.
May’s legacy will be defined by failures, public humiliations and catastrophic political miscalculations. Some of these were out of her hands. Some were the result of poor advice from those she chose to surround herself with. Some were because of the unprecedented political crisis that would come to dominate her time in Downing Street.
But much of it was her own fault. Many of her decisions had a directly negative impact on her ability to lead. The problem for May wasn’t just that British politics has been deadlocked for the best part of three years, but that she repeatedly engineered ways to erode her own authority.
By the time she accepted her number was up, she had lost the confidence of MPs, members of her own party and even her own Cabinet.
US President Donald Trump has picked an awkward time to make his first state visit to the UK.
He’s set to arrive on June 3, finally taking up May on the offer she made when she visited him in Washington days after his inauguration. He also came to the UK last year, but that was not a full state visit.
But May will officially step down as her party’s leader at the end of that week – and whether Trump will want to go ahead with meeting a lame duck leader remains to be confirmed.
Nigel Farage, leader of the Brexit Party and politician who has done more than most to push Britain toward leaving the European Union, said the Conservatives must elect an anti-EU leader.
Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commission, followed Theresa May’s resignation announcement “without personal joy,” his spokeswoman said.
“The president very much liked and appreciated working with Prime Minister May, and has said before Theresa May is a woman of courage for whom he has great respect,” the spokeswoman added.
“He will equally respect and establish working relations with any new prime minister, whomever they may be, without stopping his conversations with Prime Minister May.”
But he reiterated that the next leader will not be able to reopen May’s Withdrawal Agreement with the EU. “Our position on the Withdrawal Agreement has been set out by my colleague yesterday. There is no change to that.
“We have set out our position on the Withdrawal Agreement and on the Political Declaration. The European Commission and the Article 50 format has set out its position and we remain available for anyone who will be the new prime minister.”
Juncker told CNN earlier this week that the Brexit uncertainty is harming not only the EU, but also the UK itself. “I hope they will agree among themselves, and they will leave (the EU) by the end of October … I think it’s their patriotic duty to get an agreement,” he said.
Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, has already called for a general election. “Whoever becomes the new Tory leader must let the people decide our country’s future, through an immediate General Election,” he said.
While calling for an election in the immediate aftermath of a prime minister’s resignation is hardly radical, the fact that Labour believes the best way to decide the country’s future is through a general election and not a second referendum is worth noting.
Corbyn has for months been under pressure from his party to clarify if he would formally back a second vote – in which Remain would be an option for voters.
Labour has been on election footing for some time and advisors have been privately saying that pushing the government to an election is their priority.
But while Labour is clearly confident that while the Conservative chaos is a huge opportunity, it’s far from clear that an election now wouldn’t return another hung parliament – in which no party has a majority.
Labour’s plan to bounce the country into an election might be a clever plot to make short-term immediate gains. But the consequences of a lengthy election campaign have an all-too-familiar whiff. Getting into the weeds of a national campaign will allow both parties to pretend Brexit isn’t happening, which is sort of how we ended up in this mess in the first place.
Bookmakers have seen a flurry of betting on the UK’s next prime minister, in the minutes since Theresa May confirmed her resignation.
Boris Johnson leads the contest – he’s close to evens in the race, according to British betting website Oddschecker. In relative terms, the experts believe that Johnson’s chances of usurping his colleagues are as high as 47%, the company says.
And punters seem to be in agreement with the bookmakers – 41% of the bets made after May’s speech went on the former Foreign Secretary.
He’s followed by fellow hardline Brexiteer Dominic Raab, who quit as Brexit Secretary in protest over the deal May and the EU reached.
Michael Gove, Jeremy Hunt and Andrea Leadsom are next in the pecking order. Penny Mordaunt, Sajid Javid and Rory Stewart are similarly priced longshots.
Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, said May was right to call it a day.
“She’s now accepted what the country’s known for months: she can’t govern, and nor can her divided and disintegrating party,” he adds, calling for her replacement to order a snap election.
In a longer post on Facebook, he added:
Boris Johnson, the frontrunner to replace May as prime minister, says it’s time to follow May’s “urgings,” and come together to deliver Brexit.
Johnson has long held leadership ambitions but dramatically pulled out of the last leadership election, which May won.
Now could be the moment that the controversial former Foreign Secretary wins the big prize.
